Wanderer
by Blazing Sceptile
Summary: PMD2 fic, slight AU-ness. In a world where Primal Dialga rules, few dare go against it. One Pokemon doesn't care about the state of the world, but an encounter with two who wish to free the world changes it all.
1. Prologue

_This is a story that I thought up due to boredom. Still, flames are not welcome._

* * *

Prologue: **Wanderer**

They say nothing can stand against time. Even the mightiest armies bow in defeat to the sands of time.

That expression might hold more truth than some would like to believe.

Ever since that day when that team failed to defeat Primal Dialga, the world has changed. Completely. Only remnants of the past remain scattered all over.

For one, the Legendaries have vanished. Like I care, for those so-called deities never bothered to help us mortals. I've long ago lost my belief in the hope that they would come to set things right, return the world to the way it was before. I'm starting to wonder if they even deserve to be called Legendaries, and if they deserve the powers they've been bestowed with. For it was one of their own who abused its power, and the world paid the price.

The Pokemon in the world have changed. Most are now mindless servants of the ruler of Temporal Tower, condemned to live out their lives in an eternity of servitude to Dialga. For those whose wills are still their own, there are those who simply wish to live in this new, desolate world, and there are those who seek to change the world for the better. As noble as that sounds, it's a lost cause. Try to attack Primal Dialga, and it'll simply blast you into the past (not literally, although I think it can do that) with a Roar of Time. No one knows what became of that team, but there's no time now for speculation. Danger is around every corner in this world. One wrong move and it could be your last.

The world itself has changed. Treasure Town is no more, along with countless places. Trees and plants still grow here and there, but food and water aren't easy to find. Only the strong survive here. There's no room for weakness, not unless you want to end your life. And believe me, there are plenty of Pokemon out there who are willing to do that. There's been an increase of temporal abnormalities as of late, but those things didn't appear recently. No one remembers when exactly did they start appearing and no one knows what happens to those who are sucked into them, but everyone knows that they are never seen again.

As for me, I never really cared. You could say I belong to the first category of those Pokemon who still have their own wills, but I personally hate this world. I don't mind it changing, but I'm not going to care about whether it does change or not. I'm not idealistic, because ideals are useless unless you have the strength to back it up.

That was what I believed in, what I felt was right. It was the line which divided things into right and wrong. It was the one absolute in my entire world, the one thing that never changed even as I wandered through the remains of this world.

Until I met them.

* * *


	2. Fate

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 1: **Fate**

I splashed some water onto my face, letting the water droplets run down my cheeks. It felt good to wash myself once in a while. Wiping my eyes with the back of my hand, I stared at my reflection in the relatively-clear water, managing to catch sight of my crimson eyes and my dark-blue face before the light faded away.

Damn. Looks like time's really messed up. There's less than three hours of sunlight on some days, and it can be sunny for the whole day on others. I sighed to myself, retracted my claws and scooped up some water, before swallowing it in one gulp. Feeling slightly refreshed, I stood up and began heading in a random direction.

For as long as I can remember, I've been wandering the world. No purpose, no fixed destination, not caring about the state of the world, no attachments, nothing. It was fun at times, dangerous at others, and sometimes just plain boring. Although I sometimes joined a few exploration teams as a mercenary, mostly out of the need to earn some money to support myself and also partly out of fun, I usually left after the job was done. How I miss the good old days.

Ever since Primal Dialga utterly changed the world, many things have become different. The random day-to-night shifting is one thing, and most Pokemon becoming the ruler of Temporal Tower's servants is another. However, one thing hasn't changed: I'm still wandering through this new world, no purpose, no fixed destination, nothing.

Life's like a straw, as I would like to call it.

I stopped to pluck an Oran Berry off a tree, noticing that it was the only one left, and stared at it for a moment before tossing it into my mouth. I winced at the slightly bitter taste, and realized that it was probably not ripe yet. The heck with food safety standards, any berries that keeps you on your feet and gives you energy is edible.

Although I must say I'm never eating Spelon Berries ever again in my life. I doubt the spicy taste those things left in my mouth's ever going to go away…

The sound of wings flapping caught my attention. It was closely followed by footsteps, the occasional _snap_ of a dry twig being crushed underfoot and several Pokemon shouting things I couldn't make out. From how it sounded, it appeared that one or two Pokemon were being chased by several others. There was a rush of air, before I heard a grunt of pain followed closely by a _smash _as someone slammed into something, presumably a tree trunk.

Whatever it was, it didn't look good. I jumped up, grabbing onto a tree branch and swinging myself up onto it, managing not to disturb any leaves or make a sound. The sound of footsteps was coming to my right, but it was rapidly fading away. Although I knew I could just wait it out and pretend that nothing had happened, a part of me wanted to know what exactly was going on.

Against my better judgment, I leapt from the branch I was on to another, heading in the direction of the sounds. I wasn't a Sceptile, but jumping through trees was definitely easier than other things I've done, such as running away from an avalanche.

"For Dialga!" Great, more of that Dialga-is-ruler-of-all propaganda. I landed on another tree branch, noticing that I could now see exactly what was going on now.

"Take this!" An Aura Sphere slammed into a Luxray, sending it flying backwards into a tree, leaving an imprint in the bark even as it hit the ground. I barely kept myself from whistling in approval, for that attack was really strong.

"Resistance is futile. Give up." A group of Pokemon had a lone Lucario surrounded. Even then, the Aura Pokemon didn't look like surrendering one bit, as it fired a second Aura Sphere, this time at a Scizor who batted it away with one claw.

"You have been warned. Eliminate the betrayer." The Scizor spoke. Even a Slowpoke would have tried to run away from such overwhelming odds, but apparently this Lucario either had a very strong desire to die, immense courage or was really, really stupid, for it lashed out at the nearest Pokemon with a Force Palm.

The flattened palm of the Aura Pokemon smashed into a Sandslash's jaw, flipping it and causing it to crash into the ground with a _thud_. However, a Heracross scored a hit with a Brick Break attack, smashing it into the tree it was standing in front of.

I extended the claws on my right hand, and stared at my own reflection in them. Common sense told me to just ignore what I saw and just get on with my life as per normal, but strangely that didn't appeal to me at all. Lowering my claw, I glanced at the Heracross, then at the Scizor who seemed to be giving the orders.

Well, I could use the exercise.

Not knowing how my decision would affect my life, I exhaled, sending a blast of my Blizzard attack towards the Heracross, watching with satisfaction as the Single Horn Pokemon staggered back.

"Unknown hostile in the area. Locate-"

"You don't have to search for me. I'm right here." I called, even as I jumped off the branch and landed in front of the Lucario. Despite being a Sneasel, I disliked the sneak attacks my kind favoured.

"The target is not on the wanted list." A Xatu said.

"Put it on the list. Anyone who defies Dialga must not be allowed to exist."

_You just dug your own grave._ A voice inside my head whispered. I shoved it out of my mind and focused on the task at hand: getting out of here alive.

"Why the hell are you helping me?" The Aura Pokemon whispered harshly.

"Well, I can't just stand by and watch a guy-"

"I'm a _girl_."

"Whatever. Anyway, I can't just watch someone get killed and not do a thing about it."

"Damn it. Who are you, you jerk?" The Scizor demanded. For a 'mindless servant' of Dialga's, it sure had a lot of free will.

"You can call me Spectre." I said, revealing my claws.

Let the fun begin.

* * *


	3. First Verse

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 2: **First Verse**

There are sane Pokemon, and then there are insane Pokemon.

I got to my feet unsteadily, managing not to make any sounds despite the pain in my side. Damn, I hate getting hit by Brick Break attacks.

"You'd better stay back for a while." The Sneasel commented.

"Shut up." I hate it when people try to help me. Until the day I die, I, Avis, will rely on my own powers alone. I won't show signs of weakness, and I won't hesitate.

"Suit yourself." Spectre, if I remember correctly, replied. Apparently, the Heracross he'd blasted earlier had had enough, and charged at the Sharp Claw Pokemon with his horn glowing. I could have sworn I saw him smile, before the Single Horn Pokemon's horn slammed into the ground where he had been a moment ago.

"Too slow." Spectre's voice remarked. I simply stared, not believing what I was seeing at all. The Heracross growled, eyes darting left to right, searching for its target.

"Where are you looking?" The Bug and Fighting Pokemon looked up, only to see the Pokemon it was searching for standing on his still-glowing horn.

"Like I said, you're too slow." Spectre said, before blasting the Heracross again with another dose of his Blizzard attack, hitting it in the face. Even as one of Dialga's numerous servants staggered back, the Sharp Claw Pokemon leapt back, extended his claws and slashed it horizontally across its torso with his left claw, before following up with a diagonal hip-to-shoulder slash using his right.

The Single Horn Pokemon, for a moment, seemed as though it was frozen in time, before it dissolved into a pile of sand that was soon blown away by the wind.

"So, who's next?" Spectre asked calmly. The Pokemon surrounding the two of us glanced left to right, almost as though they were hesitating. Well, no time to wonder why.

"Nobody." I grabbed the Sneasel's arm with my hand. "RUN!"

With that, I picked the direction that seemed to have the least number of hostiles and used an Extremespeed attack, running at top speed while dragging my supposed ally behind me.

I just hope my partner's fine.

* * *

_Spectre's POV_

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?! I was just starting to have fun!" I shouted, even as the Lucario dragged me away.

"Shut up! I need to find my partner!" She yelled right back at me.

"Well, drop me off!" I snapped back.

"As you wish." With that, her grip on my arm vanished and before I could stop myself, I slammed straight into the rocky wall of a cliff. I smashed into the ground, stars exploding across my vision.

"That was uncalled for…" I managed to utter.

"You asked for it!" The Lucario's voice came from above me, and I spotted the female Aura Pokemon the moment I got to my feet. Her eyes were closed and I knew she had to be using her 'aura-abilities' to search for this partner of hers.

"There's no trace of him anywhere." She muttered, opening her eyes even as her ears drooped slightly. "There should have been at least something!"

"Perhaps he's out of communications range?" I offered, more as joke than a serious statement. She gave me a look that could make an Arbok flinch in reply.

"Don't mess around with me, Speck."

"My name's _Spectre_." I snapped in irritation.

"And mine's Avis. Remember it." She replied.

"Jeez, if you lose that attitude of yours, you might be attractive."

An Aura Sphere slammed into the ground inches from my foot.

"Are you trying to kill me after I just saved you?!" I shouted, before two more whizzed by my ear.

"I didn't need your help back there. And I'm finding that option more and more appealing by the second."

"You're one crazy woman!"

She grinned. "That's what Galive said when we first met."

"Who's Galive?" I asked, out of curiosity.

"My partner. He's a Farfetch'd, and although I sometime find him calling me his 'wingmate' annoying, we both share the same dream."

"Would that happen to be defeating Primal Dialga?" I asked. When she nodded, I sighed.

"What? You've got a problem with that?!"

"No. Well, not really. It's a lost cause, so why bother?"

"Well, at least we can try! And the Legendaries-"

"Aren't going to do a dammed thing about it." I interrupted before I could stop myself.

"They're protectors of the world! They definitely will!"

"One, one of their own caused the world to become like this. Two, if they wanted to do something about it, then why hasn't anything happened yet?" I snapped. "If the world is going to change, it's going to be by the claws of common Pokemon like you and me. Not that I care, but you get the point."

"Whatever. I don't freaking care about what you think. I'm going to search for my partner." That shouldn't have troubled me, but it did. Now that I knew she had probably an entire group of Pokemon after her, I knew that Avis would not be so lucky the next time she met them. And besides, they most likely were after my head as well. There's safety in numbers…

"I'm coming with you."

"What?"

"I said I'm going to come with you. I'll help you search for your partner." By normal standards, this was crazy for me. Still, I could always leave once she'd found this Galive…

"Are you sure you didn't get hit by that Heracross' Megahorn?"

"Yeah. Why?" I replied, puzzled.

"A Sneasel would never willingly agree to help someone else."

"Well, I'm not like others of my kind. I hate the sneak attacks that they love."

Avis shrugged, sliding down the rock wall and landing in front of me. "Just stay out of my way." She stared at the sky for a moment, before continuing.

"I think we should rest until the sun goes down, however long or short that might be. The cover of darkness always helps, especially when you're being chased by a Scizor with a group of Pokemon that are hell-bent on killing you."

I shrugged. At least something she said made sense.

"You take first watch. Good day." Before I could protest, Avis promptly shut her eyes, leaned her back against the rock wall and went to sleep.

"I'm already starting to hate this." I muttered under my breath, even as I sat down.

* * *

_3__rd__ Person POV_

"Orders?"

"We're going after those two. Cranial can take care of the Farfetch'd."

"Understood." The Xatu gave a quick nod to the Scizor.

* * *


	4. Road Trip

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 3: **Road Trip**

_Avis' POV_

"How the hell did they find us so quickly?!" Spectre shouted as the two of us sprinted through the undergrowth. The sound of footsteps behind us seemed to fade away, before getting louder again.

"How would I know? Maybe you'd like to invite our pursuers to tea or something and discuss it with them!" The Sneasel leapt over a low branch even as I simply slammed into it, tearing it off the tree it was previously attached to.

"Well, if you hadn't fallen asleep while keeping an eye out, we wouldn't be in this situation right now!"

"Says the girl who can see auras! You should have been able to pick up their auras long before I heard them! And anyway, those ears of yours should give you enhanced hearing, right?"

To say I was really angry right now was an understatement. How I wish I could just shove Spectre into a river or something and forget about him...

Oh, why did I even let him come along in the first place? That's not like me at all.

Spectre swung down from the branch he'd jumped onto, before darting to the left in a near right-angle. I had just begun to turn in the same direction before I came face-to-face with a Zangoose, its claws poised to tear me in half even though I didn't vaguely resemble a Seviper.

No way is that going to happen. Without pause, I slammed my palm into its gut, rolled over the Cat Ferret Pokemon's back even as it doubled over in pain and tossed an Aura Sphere one-handed over my shoulder in its general direction. Not bothering to see if I had taken it down, I continued running. The only sign of Spectre was the occasional flash of dark blue in the forest, before it vanished into the shadows.

Even as I leapt over a large rock, I heard a grunt, followed by a _swishing_ sound. An unfamiliar voice screamed in pain, before there was a _smash _as someone slammed into something heavy.

"Any ideas?" Spectre asked. I spotted him out of the corner of my eye, moving from tree trunk to boulder and back to another tree trunk.

"I was about to ask you the same question!" I snapped, before a faint presence in the Aura caught my attention. I would have dismissed it, but this one seemed familiar. Almost as though it was a mirage in a desert, it vanished, but not before I realized whose it was.

"This way! Galive should be in this direction!"

"What?! How the heck do you know?"

Now, he was starting to _really_ get on my nerves.

I growled angrily, clenched my jaw before grabbing the Sneasel's arm and using an Extremespeed attack, dragging him behind me as I ran. Ignoring his choice of language and insults, I sprinted in the direction that I had detected the aura of my partner coming from. Along the way, I tried to detect his aura again, but drew a blank.

However, I was so focused on that task that I nearly ran straight off a cliff. I heard Spectre curse again, before he wrapped one hand around my waist and pulled me back, allowing me to regain my balance once more.

"Didn't I tell you before? I don't need, nor want, anyone to help me! What part of that do you not understand?!"

"Shut up! We've got more problems behind us!" The sound of footsteps was growing louder with every passing moment. I took a step back, but decided against taking another when my foot dislodged a few pebbles, sending them rolling down the cliff's rock wall. I glanced over my shoulder, noticing that the cliff was overlooking a river. It looked pretty deep and the current didn't look really strong, but I knew that you couldn't tell whether there were underwater currents from above the water.

"Now what, genius?" Spectre snapped.

"I hope you can swim!" I said. Before he could reply, I swung my right hand, which was still gripping his arm, and tossed him over the edge of the cliff. I took a deep breath, before jumping off the cliff after him, straightening my legs in mid-air and reminding myself to not let my head snap back on impact.

Looks like I _did _get my chance to shove him into a river after all…

* * *

_Spectre's POV_

I hate you, Avis.

That was all I managed to think of before I hit the river. Despite the shock of the water hitting my skin, I managed to avoid opening my mouth and closed my eyes. I kicked myself to the surface and gasped, opening my eyes and trying to figure out what to do.

Although the current wasn't really violent, it was pretty strong and I didn't bother swimming against it. Instead, I tried to keep my head above the water, grabbing onto a nearby rock whose edge was above the water surface. I spotted a flash of black and navy-blue out of the corner of my eye, and instinctively reached out with one hand, grabbing onto something furry even as my other hand gripped the rock.

"Let go of my _ear_, you idiot!" Avis shouted at me. There was no trace of gratitude in her crimson eyes, only pure anger. I opened my mouth to reply, but the Lucario knocked the wind out of me with a low-powered Aura Sphere to my stomach. Even though she wasn't using full power, a low-powered Aura Sphere hitting a Pokemon that had a massive disadvantage against Fighting-Type moves would definitely hurt a lot.

It succeeded in getting me to release her ear, and it also had the added effect of causing me to lose my grip on the rock. As such, I soon found myself being swept downriver by the current.

I'll never understand women.

I dragged myself ashore wearily. Even though I had been in the water for less than ten minutes, it felt like hours to me.

"So, any trace of your friend?" I asked. Avis paused to wipe her face for a moment.

"No. Not a thing." She replied. "Although the river helped us by pushing us in the direction where I last sensed his aura coming from, I can't sense his aura anywhere."

"At least no one's following us for now." I said. At that moment, the sun went out as though it was a giant light bulb and someone had just flicked the switch to 'off'.

"Are you alright?" I asked, although I didn't know why I bothered to. The cold was probably getting to me.

"Didn't I tell you before, I don't need your help!" Avis snapped.

"Yep, you're just fine."

Avis growled angrily, before sneezing.

"Or maybe not. I don't think hypothermia has set in yet, although there's secondary drowning, or perhaps it's just the cold…"

"Shut up! I'm fine!" The Aura Pokemon yelled, before sneezing again. I sighed, wondering why the hell I was so concerned about someone who had slammed me into a rock wall and Aura Sphered me in the gut once.

"You need to dry yourself."

Avis made a _humph _sound, but didn't reply. I sighed, before snapping off some twigs from nearby trees and tossing them together in a messy pile.

"What are you doing?"

I ignored her, because I knew she'd most probably Force Palm me in the gut if I told her what I intended to do. Unsheathing my claws, I struck them together as though they were pieces of flint, eventually managing to start a fire.

"Are you stupid?! The smoke will give our location away!"

"It's night. No one can see the smoke." I said. "Now go dry your fur, and this is not because I care, but because I don't want to wake up due to you sneezing every five minutes."

Without waiting for her reply, I sat down by the fire and stared into its burning embers. Over the constant _crack-crack_ sound the fire emitted, I heard Avis' footsteps as she walked towards it.

"Thanks." She muttered as she sat down beside me, almost embarrassed. I shrugged. Wonder what kind of family or home she grew up in…

I was shaken out of my thoughts when I felt something heavy on my right shoulder. Glancing in that direction, I noticed that Avis had fallen asleep.

On my shoulder.

Great.

Why do I have to do night-watch duty again?!

* * *


	5. Wingmates

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 4: **Wingmates**

"There's no trace of those two anywhere."

"I see." I sighed. The eyes on my red pincers seemed to stare back at me even as I looked at myself.

"We'll meet up with Cranial."

"But Dialga's orders-"

I stared at the Xatu, my yellow eyes meeting his black ones, ignoring the slash wound across his chest.

"Dialga's orders were to eliminate anyone who defied its rule. If we can't get those two, we'll get the other."

The Mystic Pokemon's gaze dropped to the ground. "I understand."

I sighed, flapping my wings to calm myself down even as he left. I've already lost a member of my assigned squad, and a few of the others had wounds. How hard could it be to catch a Sneasel, a Lucario and a Farfetch'd?

I clicked my pincers once. No matter. I'll take those three down. And then the whole world will know the name Kurenai.

"Let's get moving."

* * *

_Spectre's POV_

Ever heard the phrase 'rude awakening'?

"WHAT THE HELL?! GET OFF ME!"

I think getting Force Palmed on the jaw into a tree would count.

_Slam_.

I groaned, even as leaves fell to the ground and onto me. Great, starting the day with a free headache…

"What was that for?!" I managed to shout, even though I was still dizzy. The sound of feet stomping into the ground filled my ears, before a hand wrapped around my throat and slammed me into the tree trunk.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK, HUH?!" Avis roared. Yep, she was definitely better than she was the previous night.

Although that wasn't really a good thing now…

"I let you sleep on my shoulder the whole night and this is how you repay me? Sheesh, you have a weird idea of gratitude…"

I felt the hand tighten slightly as Avis' crimson eyes narrowed. She pulled her free hand back, creating an Aura Sphere with it, and I braced myself.

The blow I was expecting to land on my jaw never came. When I looked at the Aura Pokemon again, she seemed to be in the midst of using those aura-powers of hers. A moment later, her eyes opened and she let go of my neck.

"If that ever happens again, I'll make sure that you die a terrible, agony-filled death."

_What the hell did I do_? I wanted to ask her that, but I knew that would most likely land me a consolation prize of a Force Palm. Instead, I tried to change the subject.

"What is it?"

Avis paused. "I sensed him again. He's closer, and he's in trouble."

"Wait a minute. You mean Galive, your friend? And what do you mean, 'in trouble'?" I got to my feet rather groggily, ignoring the dull pain in my back. Despite that, it was clear from her expression that Avis was very worried about him.

"There are a lot of other Pokemon chasing him." She said. "He's close by. Let's go!"

"Wait-" I had just opened my mouth before Avis dashed off into the forest. I sighed.

"Stupid girl." I cursed, before sprinting in the direction that she had ran in.

* * *

_Galive's POV_

I stopped flapping my wings, dropping like a stone even as a bone whistled through the air, passing through the spot where I had been a moment ago. As expected from a Bonemerang, it came spinning back around at me even as I swung my head, using the plant stick clutched in my beak to deflect it. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a brown hand grabbing the bone, before another one was loosed at me.

Great. No one informed me that Farfetch'd were the new 'in' Pokemon to hunt. Damn.

I straightened my body, landing on the ground and began to run rather than continue flying. Transferring the stick into my right wing, I slammed into a Scyther that had emerged from behind some bushes.

_It's not my time to go yet. Sorry._

I ducked the Scyther's wild swipe, before stabbing it through with my stick. Pulling it free, I continued to run as the mantis-like Pokemon dissolved into sand.

Something heavy slammed into my side, knocking the wind from my lungs and sending me sprawling into the ground. Shaking my head, I got up even as the Marowak who I assumed was in charge lunged at me with not one, but _two _bones.

I still had my plant stick. Gripping it tightly with my right wing, I stabbed it forward, hoping to use my opponent's momentum against him. This particular Bone Keeper was rather skilled, however, as he twisted his body to the side, avoiding my attempt to run him through. I barely got the stick around in time to deflect his strikes.

The impact of bones on stick shook me. I dodged a high swing and blocked a low one, before swinging the stick upwards towards the Marowak's jaw.

_Thump._

The plant stick flew out of my wing, embedding itself in the ground out of my reach. Barely recovering in time, I dodged a dual strike by the Marowak, only to get hit as he reversed the clubs' direction mid-swing. The impact slammed me into the ground, around a meter away from him. I gasped, tasting blood in my mouth and pain in my ribs.

"Ready to meet your mother?" He asked, pointing one of the bone clubs at me.

Crap. You don't need to have a decent education to know when you're in serious trouble. The Bone Keeper Pokemon tossed the two bone clubs in opposing directions, and I watched them curve as their trajectories guided them towards my head.

I'm sorry, Avis. I let you down, my wingmate. I let everyone down.

_Thunk. Thunk._

I opened my eyes, noticing I wasn't dead yet, and that the two bone clubs were stuck in the ground centimeters away from my head.

"Looks like I came in time, huh?" A voice I thought I'd never hear again asked. The Marowak seemed briefly annoyed for a moment, before he leapt backwards as a Blizzard attack hit the spot where was standing a moment ago.

"Missed." An unfamiliar voice said. I felt someone grab me by the back of my neck, before I was hauled quite roughly to my feet.

"Avis?"

"I can't have changed _that _much in two days, can I?" The Aura Pokemon said. "Good to see you again, Galive."

"Who's that? Your new boyfriend?" I asked, noticing the Sneasel that was attacking the Bone Keeper Pokemon. Avis snorted.

"You wish. He's on our side, at least for now."

"That means we should help him, right?" I tried to pull the bone clubs free, only to notice how heavy they were when I managed to lift one up a few centimeters before dropping it. Man, how does that Marowak guy use _two _of these at the same time and make them look like feathers?

I'd take my stick anytime, though.

"Hey, you! Catch!" Avis shouted as she hurled an Aura Sphere at the Marowak. Despite being distracted with the Sneasel's constant swipes, he dodged the Aura Sphere quite easily before leaping over us, grabbing his bone clubs as he did so.

"Galive. Use this." I heard the Sneasel say, before I spotted my stick flying towards me. Grabbing it in my beak, I tucked it in my right wing. The Marowak hurled one of the bone clubs as a Bonemerang, and all three of us dived in random directions to avoid it.

That was when I heard the rustling in the bushes, before an entire bunch of Pokemon burst out of them.

_Nice job leading them all here, Avis_.

The Bonemerang returned to the Marowak's hand, and that was when all hell broke loose.

* * *


	6. Jungle Warfare

**Disclaimer: I will never own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 5: **Jungle Warfare**

_Galive's POV_

Thanks for bringing them here, Avis. Man, and I thought I managed to get away from most of my pursuers…

I dodged the nearest set of claws that swung in my direction, not bothering to count the enemy's numbers. Even as the claws swung back for a second attempt at ending my life, I jabbed the Zangoose whom the claws belonged to with the blunt end of my stick, before knocking it out with a quick tap to the side of the neck.

Do I look like a freaking Seviper to those guys so much?

Even as the first one collapsed, I raised the stick into the air, before slashing it in an arc as I sent an Air Slash attack at two other Pokemon, watching as they slammed into nearby trees as the solidified air smashed into them.

I felt my spine tingle, and instinctively leapt into the air as another Zangoose took a swipe at me, its claws passing through the air a few inches under me. Before it could recover from its miss, I blasted it point-blank with another Air Slash.

I grimaced at the small pile of sand in front of me. As much as I hated these Pokemon, they were only following orders.

No one, not even them, deserves to have their lives ended by someone else.

* * *

_Avis' POV_

Someone's going to end up with a few broken bones.

I dodged the first Bonemerang, before tossing an Aura Sphere at the Marowak, pushing myself off the tree trunk I had jumped towards to evade the bone club as it returned to its keeper's hand.

I hurled a second Aura Sphere at the Marowak, but he deflected it with the bone clubs as though it was nothing. Even as I landed on the ground, he wasted no time in swinging them downwards towards my head, and I barely deflected them in time by using the spikes on the back of my palms as blades, catching the two clubs in between them.

The impact nearly forced me to one knee, but I managed to block the side kick that he attempted to slam into my side with my right leg, before I shoved my hands up, pushing the Marowak back a few steps.

"Why do you serve Dialga?! You have your own will, why not live out your life as you want to?!" I shouted, trying to turn the battle into a psychological one.

"Because I want to."

Damn. Goodbye, psychological warfare.

The Marowak came at me again, swinging one club at chest level and the other nearly level with the ground. Without thinking whether it was the best thing to do, I stepped into the arc of his swing, blocked the high swing with my spikes and stomped on his left hand, causing him to drop the other bone club. Hooking my leg under the fallen weapon, I tossed it up and caught it even as I released my grip on the one still in his hands.

I'd bet that this thing could smash that skull helmet of his in. Man, it was really heavy.

I took a wild swing at the Bone Keeper's torso, more to get used to the weight than as an offensive move. He simply stepped out of range, before adjusting his grip on his one remaining club such that the head was pointed towards the ground and it was nearly parallel with his forearm.

Reverse-grip. Dangerous and effective in close quarters, if one was well-trained.

I hefted the 'borrowed' bone club, gripping it in both hands.

Looks like learning that Bone Rush attack that I picked up when I was younger was going to come in handy.

* * *

_Spectre's POV_

This day just keeps getting better and better.

I noticed most of the newcomers were Zangoose. That would have been reasonable choices, if we were all Sevipers.

But claws don't ask for your identity when they slash through your neck.

Even as my claws slid out of concealment, I blocked the first swing by an overeager Zangoose who had leapt in the air, before stabbing him through with my own, using his own momentum against him.

Someone slammed into my side, knocking the wind from my lungs.

"You will pay!" A voice shouted, before a wind slammed into me, nearly sending me flying. Despite the immense force it was generating, I launched a Blizzard attack at the newcomer, who leapt into the air to avoid it.

I rolled aside as I recognized my attacker, the Xatu whom I slashed when I and Avis were running away. I inhaled, preparing another Blizzard attack, but I had to dive aside as he launched a Blizzard attack of his own without the charge-up time.

_Me First, huh?_

As the Xatu flew past me, I tackled him, sending us both into the unyielding ground. Before I could do anything else, he smacked me with a wing, knocking me over.

"Die!"

I barely got my claws up in time as he leapt at me, and I felt them sink into flesh.

"I… failed you… Kurenai…"

Sand splattered my face and claws. I grimaced, before getting to my feet. Before I could decide what to do next, however, something heavy slammed into me, throwing me into a tree.

"I'll make sure you never kill anyone ever again!" A Scizor shouted. Although I knew Scizors were well-known for their ferocity in battles, this one looked particularly mad. He pointed one pincer at me, before an orange beam shot forth from it, blowing the tree I had been leaning against to pieces even as I leapt away.

"You'll pay for all the lives of my comrades you've taken!" The Pincer Pokemon's wings began to vibrate rapidly, creating a buzzing sound that seemed to tear at me from the inside. Ignoring the pain, I fired a Blizzard attack at him, managing to stop the attack as he leapt aside to avoid getting hit.

"Take this!" A multitude of glowing orbs appeared around him, before rushing towards me at near-supernatural speeds. I barely leapt aside in time as the Hidden Power attack tore through the bushes and trees behind me. Before the Scizor could use another anger-fuelled attack, I closed the distance between me and him with quick strides, before slashing at him using my right claw, ignoring the fact that he was nearly twice as tall as me.

Rather than trying to dodge my upward slash, the crimson mantis grabbed my claw in a vise-like grip using his own pincer. Before he could crush it, I quickly concealed that claw and swung low with my other, managing to hit his left leg. Although the strike didn't draw blood, it did succeed in enraging him as he swung his right pincer downwards as though it was a club. I didn't bother to block it, but rather leapt away from him, avoiding the attack as it slammed into the ground.

"Coward! Get back here and fight!" The Scizor, whom I assumed was this Kurenai that the Xatu had mentioned just before he'd died, shouted. He raised his left pincer, firing another Hyper Beam from it even as I dived aside to avoid it.

"Damn it! Watch where you're going!" Avis shouted as I bumped into her.

"Shut up!" I snapped back. I noticed another orange beam of energy heading my way. Out of instinct, I grabbed Avis and dived aside, the orange beam whizzing by harmlessly before slamming into another tree.

"How many times must I tell you, don't help me!" She snarled, smacking me on the forehead with her palm angrily, before she deflected a swing by the Marowak using one of his clubs.

"What'd I do this time?" I muttered, before ducking to avoid another Hyper Beam. Before Kurenai could fire any more Hyper Beams, Galive launched three Air Slashes in quick succession at him that he deflected with his pincers. I noticed that the Farfetch'd had knocked out every one of his enemies, but not killed them.

"You guys alright?" I heard the Wild Duck Pokemon ask.

"Yeah."

"A few bruises, that's all." I replied, shifting my gaze from the Scizor to the Marowak and back again, waiting for their next move.

"I'm going to kill all of you!" The Pincer Pokemon snarled, but he was held back by the Bone Keeper Pokemon's hand.

"Let go of me, Crainal! I'll make them pay for all the deaths they caused!"

"Calm down. The situation isn't to our advantage right now. It's best that we fall back."

"And dishonor all of our fallen comrades?!"

"You would be doing the same thing if you died here and now."

The fire in the Scizor's golden eyes seemed to fade away. "I'll come for you again." He said, pointing one pincer at me. "And the next time, you won't be so lucky."

I half-expected him to fire a Hyper Beam right there and then, but all he did was lower his pincer and moved off in another direction.

"We'll meet again." The Marowak said, before he leapt into the trees and vanished out of sight.

"What just happened?" Galive asked. "I've never seen them retreat before."

"I know, Galive. But let's run before they decide to take a second shot at us." Avis replied.

"Whatever. But," The Farfetch'd walked over to me. "What about him? He did help us, after all."

"I don't care."

"Whatever." Galive shrugged. "Want to come along with us?"

Although common sense and logic told me to say no, I found myself nodding my head. Great, I'm officially going crazy.

"That settles it! Anything to say, Avis?"

"Don't help me." The Aura Pokemon began walking towards the arbitrary north.

Galive leaned over to whisper in my ear. "I think she likes you."

"I can still hear you, Galive." The Lucario said calmly.

* * *


	7. Second Step

**Disclaimer: Pokemon is not something I own.**

* * *

Chapter 6: **Second Step**

_Avis' POV_

At least I don't have to worry about whether those two would get along.

"So, how long have you been with her, huh?" Galive asked Spectre. I sighed, before shifting my gaze back to the burning embers of the campfire.

"One, we are not together. And around two days." The Sneasel replied. "What about you?"

"Eh, I never bothered to keep track of time. Especially when it's all messed up." The Wild Duck Pokemon said. "I was born shortly before the whole Primal Dialga thing, so I never really knew about a world in order."

"I see." Spectre said. "I don't really care about the state of the world."

"There he goes with the 'I don't care' attitude." I remarked.

"Haven't you two heard the phrase 'Opposites attract'?"

In response, the Sharp Claw Pokemon smacked Galive with the Farfetch'd's own stick.

"Don't even start, Galive." I said. "So, what do we do now?"

"I don't know. Weren't you the one who was always ranting about how you were going to change the world? You should have a plan, right?" Spectre returned the stick to the ground as he spoke.

"Truth is, I never really thought much about how I was going to do it." I admitted. "Well, there'll be plenty of time to think of that later. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight."

Before either one of them could reply, I laid down and promptly closed my eyes.

"I don't believe this." I heard Spectre say, before I fell asleep.

* * *

_Galive's POV_

"We should go this way!"

"No, you idiot! We need to go thatway! You can Aura Sphere me point-blank if it's the wrong way!"

I sighed, tapping my stick on the ground impatiently even as Spectre and Avis argued which direction to go in. Those two were great at planning, as they'd quickly decided that the best way to solve the problem of 'how to change the world' was to get more information on Dialga, which meant paying a visit to Treasure Town as it was the base of all the exploration teams.

However, carrying out the plan was an entirely different story.

_We'll be lucky if we even get moving at all. Damn, who the hell created crossroads?_

I sighed again, even as the yelling continued. This was getting out of hand.

"Alright! That's enough! We're going _this _way, and that's that!" I whacked both Avis and Spectre on the head with my stick, before heading in the direction of the sun as opposed to either north or south, the two directions that the duo were arguing over.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?!" I strolled past them both at a nearly-leisurely pace, ignoring Avis' words.

"Just knocking some sense back into those heads of yours." I said.

* * *

_Cranial's POV_

"Why'd you have to stop me?!"

I leaned casually against a tree, my one remaining bone club still in hand.

"You probably would've died."

Kurenai slammed his pincers into a tree trunk, leaving imprints in the bark.

"Do you know how many Pokemon we lost back there?!"

"There's always more." I calmly replied. Personally, I think he's too soft. If you let your personal feelings get in the way, you'll only become weaker.

"You really are a model Marowak, aren't you?"

I shrugged, before feeling a familiar sensation in my head. As always, it felt as though someone was tapping the inside of my skull.

"You feel it?"

"Yeah. Looks like you-know-who wants to talk to us again, Kurenai."

_When will you ever call me by my name, Cranial?_

"When I want to." I responded to Dialga's mental question.

_I see you've lost every last one of the Pokemon that I assigned to you._

Kurenai growled under his breath. I only made a _tch _sound and waited for the Legendary's next words.

_Save your anger for the next battle, Kurenai. That is, if you can find them first._

"It's a bit obvious where they're going." Despite being relatively inexperienced, Kurenai had pretty admirable abilities when it came to predicting someone's moves. That was probably why we were able to catch up to those two in the first place.

Unfortunately, he hadn't predicted the third one to show up.

"Go on." I said.

"If you wanted to overthrow someone, you'd want to get as much info on them as possible, right?"

I nodded.

"So where's the place with the most info available on Dialga? Pretty obvious, isn't it?"

"It is." I said. Come to think of it, it did make sense. After all, that was the place where all of the exploration teams were based, not to mention one of _Lord_ Dialga's first targets.

_Just try not to waste the lives of the Pokemon I'll assign to you this time. _

"Not my problem if they can't stay alive." I said even as Dialga's presence in my mind faded away. After all, those Pokemon only have one purpose: to serve Dialga. If they died, they would die serving Dialga. No Pokemon could ask for anything more.

"Let's go."

* * *

_Spectre's POV_

"I don't think this is the right way."

"Perhaps. But I'm sure that the direction you wanted to go in wasn't either, Spectre."

"Well, at least I know that the other direction wasn't the right one as well, Avis."

Galive sighed, even as he used his stick to clear a way through the dense jungle undergrowth. "Will you two stop arguing? You know, I don't think you two lovebirds would notice if I led you guys off a cliff…"

"I heard that!" The Lucario in front of me shouted. I shook my head, keeping whatever I had in mind to myself.

"Do you think we'll find what we're looking for there?" Galive asked, ignoring the looks that Avis was giving him.

"I don't know. It's been so long since I've been there."

"Well, it's- Hey, what's with stopping all of a sudden?" I asked, realizing that I had walked straight into the Wild Duck Pokemon's back. Looking over his shoulder, I barely kept myself from gasping aloud.

"Man, who ordered a complete makeover?" Avis commented.

"Probably Dialga." I replied.

In front of us, the forest abruptly ended. And, in full view to us, was the once-proud Treasure Town.

* * *


	8. Treasure Town

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

Chapter 7: **Treasure Town**

* * *

An uncomfortable silence filled the air as the trio cautiously entered the town. The sun had gone down, but it was quite easy to see the half-destroyed houses and chunks of rubble everywhere.

"Are you even sure we're in the right place? This can't be Treasure Town, can it?" A rather nervous Galive asked. The wind howled, creating an eerie-sounding noise as it traveled through the cracks and holes in the ruins.

"As much as I hate to say this, it should be." Avis pointed to a partially-wrecked building with one hand. "Look over there. Recognize it?"

The Farfetch'd narrowed his eyes, squinting at the faint shape. "It seems to me like it was built to resemble a Duskull-" He shut his beak as reality struck him.

"So, what do we do now?" Spectre finally spoke.

"I don't know. You two were the ones who wanted to come here in the first place." The Wild Duck Pokemon replied. He looked around uneasily, before speaking again. "It feels as though we're being watched…"

"It's probably just your imagination, Gailve. Although I think we should leave here as soon as possible." The Lucario paused for a moment. "It'll take too long to search the whole town together, so we should split up. We'll meet up with one another later."

"I don't like this…"

Spectre shrugged. "Majority wins. See you later." With that, the Sneasel leapt over a particularly large chunk of rubble and quickly disappeared from sight.

"Do we really have to do this?"

"Yes. Later." The Lucario's retreating figure greeted Galive's eyes as he turned to look at his partner.

"I hate being alone…" He muttered, before heading in the direction of the Duskull-shaped building, not noticing the red zigzag pattern that detached itself from a similarly-colored wall and floating off in another direction.

_Spectre's POV_

* * *

This is really disturbing. To walk along ruined buildings and battle-scarred paths, it's almost as though you can feel the spirits of everyone who died here.

I sighed as I emerged from another building. Nothing but vestiges of the past. Running my hand along the wall, I unsheathed my claws before stabbing them into the wood, using them to climb to the roof of the building.

_Screw anyone who wants me to pay for repairs. Not that it really matters now…_

I grabbed the edge of the roof, before swinging myself up onto it. From my new vantage point, I could see most of Treasure Town, but it didn't look any different from up here than from ground level. Not bothering to climb back down, I leapt off the roof towards another building.

From a distance, the other wooden roof whose green paint had seen better days looked relatively strong. However, it gave way immediately under my weight, sending a pile of shattered wood, lots of dust and one Sneasel crashing to the ground.

I gritted my teeth and shoved the splinters of wood aside, coughing as a few of the dust particles present in the air found their way into my lungs.

_Were the Kecleon Brothers so poor that they couldn't afford _proper _wood for their shop?_

I glanced up at the starless sky from the hole that my fall had created, the building being illuminated faintly by the moonlight.

_Guess I'll never find out. Wonder how this place held itself together…_

Ignoring the 'If Broken, Considered Sold' sign, I scanned the dust-covered shelves. All the TMs were long gone, along with the Orbs. The only usable things I was able to find were two Blast Seeds and five Spelon Berries.

Great, Spelon Berries. My favorite.

* * *

_Galive's POV_

I stared up at the building that used to be the Duskull Bank. Although there was a massive hole where one 'eye' used to be, the building looked quite intact from the outside. However, the first thing I noticed as I entered the building was that the entireback portion of it had been utterly destroyed. The ground was dotted with craters of varying sizes, scorch marks and other scars of a battle that had probably taken place there.

Knowing that I wouldn't find anything there, I exited the building, giving it one last glance over my shoulder as I left. The sight of the one remaining 'eye' glowing in the moonlight was enough to encourage me to increase my pace.

I paused for a moment to think, satisfied that I had placed enough distance between myself and that bank. As much as I hated it, the most logical option would be to look through every single building and take whatever could be used.

_Besides, it's not like these things are going to be of any use to anyone just sitting around collecting dust…_

I sighed, putting my personal emotions aside. Truth was, I didn't really have a choice in this matter. The other alternatives were either to starve to death or get caught by Dialga's minions.

_Still,_ I thought to myself, glancing around at the wrecked buildings, _I don't think I'll find anything useful here…_

* * *

_Avis' POV_

I exhaled, opening my eyes at the same time. Even through the Aura, I still couldn't sense signs of life, even though I wasn't expecting to find anything at all.

_Now what? _I thought, looking around. The only thing I saw was devastation. _It's highly unlikely anyone survived…_

_But information doesn't have to come from talking to someone._ _Perhaps the Guild Headquarters has something useful._

I turned my head to look at the building. Oddly, the Wigglytuff-shaped structure was largely intact, a stark contrast to the wrecked buildings of Treasure Town. It wasn't as far away from my current location as I thought it would be, as I reached the entrance after just five minutes of walking.

The wind blew once again, causing me to shiver slightly as I peered down the passageway leading to the Guild, after destroying the piece of rubble that laid across it with an Aura Sphere first. Even with the moonlight, I found it hard to make out anything at all in the pitch-black darkness that the hole seemed to be filled with, but I was certain that the ladder that was once at its side was either destroyed or badly damaged.

_Here we go. _Throwing caution to the winds, I leapt down into the passageway. It seemed to take forever for my feet to touch the solid earth once again, but eventually they did. The moonlight from above didn't illuminate much of the underground passages, so it took my eyes a few minutes to get accustomed to their new and darker surroundings. Since the Aura wasn't of much use down here, I didn't bother with it and started walking down the passageway.

_This is unnerving._ I thought to myself as I walked. _Once, these passageways were filled with so many types of Pokemon. Now, there's only silence and sorrow._

I turned left, walking past a blocked passageway. If I remembered correctly, Wigglytuff should have kept records of all the Exploration Teams, as well as all of their explorations of the various dungeons. There might be something useful in those records.

Knowing what to find was easy. Finding it was a different story altogether. It was like finding a needle in a haystack, without the use of fire, water or magnets.

I swore silently under my breath, even as I turned left again. Every passageway looked the same to me, and I was starting to consider going back to the entrance and waiting for the others before my foot kicked against something in the darkness.

"What the hell?" I muttered. Bending over to pick up the object, I turned it over in my hand. It appeared to be some sort of book from how it felt, although what it was about was still unknown to me as I was only able to see its outlines.

Deciding not to go any further in case I got lost, I began retracing my steps to get back to the entrance. It wasn't really hard, as all I needed to do was turn right at every intersection due to the fact that I kept turning left on the way in.

_The hell with poor lighting._ I leaned against the most illuminated section of the wall, opening the book and straining to see the small words written on its pages.

"_I'd never thought I would live to see the day when Treasure Town would get attacked, but that's going to happen soon. There hasn't been any word from Shatterstrike ever since things went from bad to worse, but we can't worry about them right now. We have bigger problems, namely a rampaging Temporal Legendary, to deal with right now. Everyone except all the willing Exploration Teams has been evacuated, although there won't be any place safe if, or rather when, the town falls."_

I paused for a moment, thinking. Shatterstrike was the name of the team that had tried, and failed, to stop Dialga. Then, the world…

"I didn't know you were interested in reading." A familiar voice snapped my concentration. Man, a certain Sneasel's getting annoying…

"I don't need you to help me with something as simple as that." I responded, looking up from the book at the two pairs of eyes that were looking down at me. Spectre shrugged, before jumping down into the hole, using one claw to control his descent. Galive, meanwhile, had the least trouble getting down due to his wings.

"This seems to be a diary of sorts." I continued.

"Then you shouldn't read it. That action's an invasion of someone else's privacy." The Farfetch'd said.

"That person's probably dead."

Spectre didn't look convinced. "And how do you know this? You killed the owner of the diary?"

"No." I replied, controlling my irritation. "I know this because this book will most likely explain why Treasure Town's in this state right now." Ignoring the looks that my two friends gave me, I continued reading the book.

Strange. I never thought of Spectre as one of my friends until now…

* * *


	9. Black and White

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 8: **Black and White**

_Another day, another attack. I don't know how long more we can hold out. Unlike Dialga's forces, we can't replenish our numbers daily. We're running out of supplies and tricks to use against them, and everyone knows it. Team Fortune even suggested putting Blast Seeds and rock fragments into long, hollow branches and setting them off to break the siege, but Blast Seeds don't take a day to grow._

_Morale's rock bottom. Everyone here knows that we're all going to meet Giratina. Question is, when? It doesn't matter how our lives end, but when does the borrowed time we're all living on run out? Today, tomorrow, one week later, or perhaps two? _

Even as the Aura Pokemon continued to flip through the pages, it was becoming increasingly obvious to her that the battle for the ruined town above her was won through attrition. She closed her eyes, mouthing a silent prayer for all the fallen defenders of Treasure Town, even though she knew no one was probably listening to her.

"I don't like this place." Galive complained, glancing around with a hint of unease in his voice. "It's like we're being watched…"

"It's probably just you. Now shut up and let the lady read in peace." Avis snapped the book shut and glared at Spectre, who simply shrugged.

"What? You _are _a girl, ri-"

The Sharp Claw Pokemon rolled aside as an Aura Sphere struck the ground where he was standing a moment ago, throwing up a cloud of soil.

"Stop fighting already, lovebirds." The Farfetch'd muttered, before a Blizzard attack froze the ground to his left and another Aura Sphere missed his right wing by inches. Avis mentally swore, before returning her attention to the diary. However, an odd sensation in the Aura caused her to toss the book to Spectre and invoke her natural Aura powers.

_This is weird. The Aura's never acted like this before._ The Fighting/Steel-Type Pokemon thought to herself, even as her senses moved outward. _And… Oh, no._

"We've got to move." She snapped, deactivating her powers. _I can't believe I didn't sense them before…_

"What? Why?" Spectre questioned, before Avis snatched the book out of his hands.

"We've been spotted, that's why! They're coming from above. And don't bother asking how they found us here, because I don't know!"

"If that's the case, then the only way to go would be deeper." Galive gripped his stick tighter. "Unless anyone's got a better plan that doesn't require us to get badly maimed or lose a limb or two?"

Avis and Spectre glanced at each other, before shaking their heads.

"Well, let's get moving." The Wild Duck Pokemon gestured with his stick towards the interior of the Guild.

"You guys go ahead."

Two pairs of eyes turned to look at Spectre. The Sharp Claw Pokemon had picked up some pebbles that were on the ground and was busy using them to hide something diamond-shaped.

"What are you doing? If they catch up to you, you'll probably die."

"I didn't know you cared, Avis. And I'm not that stupid to wait for death to get me. I'm just making the necessary preparations needed to welcome them."

The Lucario and the Farfetch'd shot each other uneasy glances, not wanting to leave him behind but also not willing to expose themselves to any unnecessary danger.

* * *

_Cranial's POV_

"So, has the scout made psychic contact with us yet?"

"Only just. He's still out in the field, but he relayed the info you needed back."

I shot a glance to the Scizor named after his color, signaling that he continue talking.

"They're in the town, just as I said they'd be." It was easy to detect the pride in his voice. Jeez, it was only a small achievement…

"What now?" The Pincer Pokemon asked.

"I'm sure you already know the answer to that question, Kurenai."

The Scizor shrugged, clicking his pincers as he shifted his gaze to the site that had the honor of being Lord Dialga's greatest triumph to date. "I have my assumptions."

I tossed my second bone club, which I had picked up on the way to Treasure Town, into the air and caught it. It wasn't as balanced as my previous one, but it would have to do. Once this was over, I could go back to my graveyard and look for the perfect bone club…

"Time to move out."

At least I wouldn't have to worry about any idiotic buffoons getting lost as all the Pokemon here had taken part in the attack on this ruined town. But, they're still expendable, as all Pokemon are…

* * *

_Avis' POV_

"Don't run and read, Avis. Especially in conditions like these."

"Shut up! Stop telling me what to do!" I snapped, my patience deteriorating almost as quickly as I was running. The last thing I needed right now was an annoying Pokemon who was extremely vulnerable to my Aura Sphere ordering me about.

As I approached an entrance to another passageway, I slammed into something invisible and lost my balance, crashing into the ground in a rather undignified heap. Shaking my head, my vision cleared and the dark corridors once again came into view, as well as the Kecleon that struggled to re-camouflage itself.

_So that's how they found us._

"You're not getting out of my sight!" Before it could fully conceal itself, I punched it in the jaw before grabbing it by the neck and tossing it into the nearest wall.

"Don't stop moving! I'll catch up!" I shouted as both Galive and Spectre ran past me. Strangely, they didn't bother to ask any questions.

A movement out of the corner of my eye got my attention. Acting on instinct, I dodged the Color Change Pokemon's Psybeam attack by leaping backwards into the new passageway.

"Show's over." I held out my hand palm-out, summoning an Aura Sphere before tossing it into the roof of the cavern, burying the Kecleon underneath tons of soil and earth and blocking off the passageway.

"You did realize that you could have brought down the entire cave on _us_ as well, did you?"

I didn't respond. In the heat of the moment, I had forgotten that the tunnels were all interlinked, but fortunately nothing else had collapsed. Yet.

"We'd better find a way out of here fast. Looks like the confined spaces are driving the wielder of the Aura crazy."

"I have an idea." My long-time companion spoke before I could snap at Spectre.

"Whenever you said that, it usually involves some near-suicidal requirements."

Galive turned to face me. "You know me so well."

* * *

_Kurenai's POV_

"Are you sure they're down there?"

"Absolutely. That's where I'd be."

"Not where _I'd _be." The Marowak looked unconvinced as he peered down the hole. "It's too enclosed down there, the perfect place for a trap or an ambush."

"Well, it's also the place where the probability of finding some information on Dialga is the highest."

"_Lord _Dialga." Crainal reminded as he jumped into the hole. I sighed, following suit.

"It doesn't really matter, does it?" I said, landing beside him. "Something doesn't feel right…"

"It's probably just you." The Bone Keeper Pokemon replied. Up ahead, a Magmar was busy surveying the area. My attention was drawn to a suspicious pile of stones slightly in front of it, but it was only when I noticed a glint of yellow underneath the grey stones did I realize what it was.

"Get down!" I shoved the Marowak to the ground even as the ill-fated Magmar stepped on the stones.

The explosion that followed nearly caused me to go deaf.

* * *


	10. Escape

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 9: **Escape**

_Spectre's POV_

I felt the effects of the explosion long before I heard it.

"How long do you think that will hold them?" Avis asked.

"Hopefully, long enough." I said, dusting off some dust that had fallen from the ceiling onto my shoulder. "Are we there yet, Galive?"

"Almost."

"You do know that this plan of yours is near-suicidal, right?" I questioned.

"I do."

"So why are we even following it?"

"Do we have any other choice? _You_ sealed off the only known exit, so we've got to make our own one."

I shut my mouth, knowing it was useless arguing with him. Galive paused for a moment, tapping the wall with that stick of his.

"This is it."

"It's a _wall_, genius." I commented, not impressed at all.

"Not for long. Avis, you mind blowing something up?"

"About darn time, I'd say." Came her reply. Before I could protest, the Aura Pokemon shoved the diary into my hands and stepped towards the wall.

"Right here. Full-power, one-handed, that should do it." Galive said, tapping a seemingly-random spot on the wall with his stick.

Avis dusted her hands, before pressing her right palm to the spot indicated prior.

"What are you-"

The wall exploded, sending chunks of rock and earth flying outward.

"Back door's open." Avis commented, snatching the book from me. "And stop gawking."

I shook my head. Stepping over to the edge, I glanced up, noticing the rocky cliff around the newly-made hole.

_What the hell are you up to, Galive?_

"Don't look down." The Wild Duck Pokemon's voice warned. Unable to resist the temptation, I shifted my gaze in the opposite direction.

"Not exactly the best spot for fishing, eh?" I remarked, watching the waves slamming into the base of the cliff, throwing up plenty of water droplets with each hit. "Couldn't you pick a better place?"

"We're going _up_, not down."

I could have sworn that my jaw dropped.

"Please tell me you're joking." Avis said.

"Nope. It shouldn't be a problem-"

"Easy for _you _to say." I interrupted, glancing at the Farfetch'd's wings.

"Hey, you have claws, and your girl-"

"I'M NOT HIS GIRL!"

"Denial is the first step towards acceptance. Anyway, she has arm spikes. You two can scale this cliff without breaking a sweat, I'd bet."

"Right…" I muttered, before turning to face the Aura Pokemon. "You're going first."

"Why? So that there's no chance of you falling on me?"

"No, but because if you fall, I'll have time to move out of the way."

* * *

"Blast Seed. It sealed the passageway."

"Damn. Poor guy."

"Hey, you alright? Did the force of the blast give you a concussion or something?"

The Marowak glared at his teammate.

"What?" When only the glare of Cranial met him, the Scizor continued speaking. "After all, most Marowaks don't even blink an eye when someone dies."

The Ground-type Pokemon snorted, wincing even as he got to his feet. "Well, getting blown apart just seems pretty…" He paused, searching for the appropriate word. "painful."

"Well, I guess it'll take more than that to give you a concussion at all…" Kurenai muttered.

"Hey, everything alright down there?" A Drapion poked his head over the hole the duo had entered from in the first place.

"Yeah. Except for the fact that a Magmar just got blown sky-high."

The scorpion-like Pokemon winced on hearing Cranial's words. "Ouch. What now?"

"I'm not sure. You have your kind all over the town, yes?"

"If anyone so much as sneezes, we'll know. Oh, and I hate to complicate things, but Lord you-know-who said to take them alive if possible."

"Jeez. And taking them down was troublesome enough… What a pain." Using his bone club as a makeshift walking stick, the Marowak staggered forward.

"What do you think you're doing?" The Pincer Pokemon asked, getting to his feet and testing his limbs, checking to see if anything was broken or dislocated.

"Getting back up to the surface."

* * *

_Spectre's POV_

'You two can scale this cliff without breaking a sweat.'

Which bright idiot said those words?

I growled, pulling my left claw from the cliff and driving it back into the rock a few inches higher than the previous mark. Satisfied that it was relatively secure, I repeated the same procedure with my right claw, wincing as it sunk into the rock. After all, no one could keep stabbing rock with nothing but his bare claws for ten freaking minutes straight and not feel some pain.

"Will you stop that?!" I shouted, looking away to blink some dirt that had fallen from above courtesy of a certain Lucario out of my eye.

"Apparently, my foot hates you as much as I do!" Avis snapped back, before slamming one of her arm spikes into the rock.

"Could we please keep the social chatting and exchange of love messages down, you two? The faster we get to the top, the-"

"The faster I can kill you, Galive." The Aura Pokemon snapped, glaring at the Pokemon who had the easiest time of us all due to his wings.

"Hey, despite popular belief, we Farfetch'd don't taste good. And don't bother eating my stick; I'm only letting you do that over my dead body."

Avis ignored his sentence, continuing to climb. I paused for a moment, trying to gauge the distance between my current position on the cliff and the top. After a moment, I looked back down, feeling slightly nervous as I saw how high up we actually were from the rocks and waves below.

"Damn!"

I looked up on hearing the curse, even as something brown dropped past me, barely missing my face. Without even thinking it through, I pulled my right claw out and thrust it at the object, hoping to catch it like a jumping Magikarp.

Unfortunately, I missed. Not only that, my wild strike had left me off-balance. Even as the object which I soon recognized as the book that Avis had picked up earlier fell towards the waves, I fought to keep myself from following it down.

"I didn't ask you to catch it."

"And I didn't ask you to drop it." I snapped back. "You have a unique way of showing gratitude…"

Avis held out two pieces of paper. "At least I saved some of it-"

"Can't we just continue upwards, you two?"

With a glare that had the same meaning as 'I'll deal with you later.', the two of us continued our climb.

_What did I ever do to deserve this…_

* * *

"I swear I'm never doing anything like that again."

Although I didn't say anything, I secretly agreed with Avis' statement. After that 'vertical ascent', it was a miracle that my claws hadn't broken off nor gotten badly blunted. The pain, however, was a different story.

_I wonder how many nerves and bones I damaged…_

"I don't understand why you're complaining. There's no big deal about it." Galive remarked, even as he landed beside me.

"That's easy for you to say…" Avis muttered, pulling herself up into a sitting position. "Why don't you try using that stick of yours to climb up instead?"

"It would break. Anyway, what did you manage to save?"

"Only these two pages." The Lucario glumly replied. "Can't believe that I slipped…"

"Better the book than you. Mind reading them out?"

Avis looked at me for longer than I thought necessary.

"What?" I asked, starting to get uncomfortable.

"Nothing." Avis looked down at the first piece of paper in her grasp. "Other than the usual crap about how the Adamant Orb enhances Dialga's powers, nothing useful. Man, can't anyone be bothered to write down _important_ stuff?"

"I guess not. What about the other?" I asked. The Lucario tossed the first piece over the cliff, before looking at the second.

"Strange…"

"What is?" Galive spoke up.

"This." Came the reply even as Avis held up the paper shred.

"'They came from below…' What the heck does that mean?"

"I have no idea, Spectre. But whatever it is, it can't be good."

I shrugged, looking away. For a second, I thought I felt the ground move slightly, but quickly dismissed it as a figment of my imagination.

* * *


	11. Seperation

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, as always.**

* * *

Chapter 10: **Separation**

"Are we there yet?"

"No." The Drapion ignored his companion and continued shoving dirt aside with his claws. He growled as he hit a stone, smashing it to bits in the process.

"Now?"

"No!" The Ogre Scorp Pokemon snapped. He swore under his breath, trying to remember whether he was supposed to dig westwards or northwards after he'd dug a hundred paces eastwards. "_Who did I offend to get assigned with _him _of all Drapions..._"

"What about now?"

That sent him over the edge.

"NO! WE'RE NOT THERE YET, CRYPTOS! SO SHUT THE HELL UP RIGHT THIS DIALGA-DAMMED INSTANT, OR MY CLAWS WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO, PERMANETLY!"

The shiny Drapion that was the focus of his companion's insults simply blinked. "Man, did you just make the ground shake with that shout of yours? I thought only Loudreds or Explouds could do that!"

Cryptos' companion resisted the urge to smack himself. Sighing, he turned around and continued tunneling northwards through the dirt, only stopping when his claws hit an unusually hard rock.

"Damn. Looks like we're going to have to find a way around this."

"That shouldn't be a problem, except for the fact that we may dig ourselves off the cliff if we're not careful. We're pretty close to the edge, I think, and I doubt that either one of us are up for a swim right now…"

I_ might dig myself off the cliff, you jerk. _I'm_ the one doing the digging here…_

"Hey, can I take a look at that rock for a sec? It must be pretty hard to withstand a strike from your claws, no?" Cryptos squeezed past the other scorpion-like Pokemon and began examining the rock in question.

"Damn it, this is not the time to be fooling around!" The other Drapion sighed. "And what are you guys looking at?! Get digging!" He shouted again, glaring at the long line of Skorupis lined up behind Cryptos like schoolchildren queuing up for lunch.

The Scorpion Pokemon exchanged glances with one another, before crawling past the shiny Drapion and getting to work.

"I got it! This is an igneous, not a sedimentary or a metamorphic rock!"

Cryptos' statement made everyone sigh.

"So_ that's_ the reason why every one of his partners comes back mentally scarred…"

No one argued with that statement.

* * *

"Now what?" Spectre asked, even as Avis threw the last bits of paper over the cliff edge, not bothering to watch them fall to their watery grave.

"I think it's about time we left." The Wild Duck Pokemon said. "It's obviously no longer safe here, and quietly frankly this place gives me the creeps."

"Coward." The Lucario commented. "It's only just a few destroyed buildings and similar stuff…"

There was a slight tremor in the ground.

"Did you feel that?" Spectre asked, looking around. "It's not just me, is it?"

"No, I felt it too." Avis replied. "There's not supposed to be any tectonic activity in this region…"

"This is obviously not good, right?" Galive nervously asked.

"Something's coming from underground. I can't tell what or how many…" The Lucario said, ignoring his question utterly.

"Here we go again, huh?" The Sharp Claw Pokemon asked, shifting his feet apart slightly.

"You do realize that we're in one of the worst defensive positions possible? No cover, no elevated ground and that one stray blast can blow us off this cliff?"

"I do, Galive." Avis replied, clasping her forepaws together.

"So then why are we still going to fight?"

"Do we have a choice?" Galive's two companions replied simultaneously, even as the green-tinted white bone appeared in the Lucario's grasp.

"It's been so long since I used this technique." She remarked under her breath. "Not exactly the best time to test whether I've gotten rusty…"

"Let's just hope you aren't." Spectre added, even as the tremors started again.

"Source's about thirty meters out. Getting closer…"

"How do you know?"

Before Avis could reply, the ground about five meters in front of the trio cracked open.

"There's your evidence, Spectre." Avis remarked. She had her left paw in front of her at chest level and her right paw, which gripped the bone, behind her.

"See, I told you that we were digging too close to the edge! Just feel that cool sea breeze coming in! Man, a few more meters and we'd be having a swim!"

"FOR THE LAST TIME, SHUT UP!"

To see Drapions emerging from holes underground wasn't something uncommon, as the Ogre Scorp Pokemon and their pre-evolved form had a tendency to strike from below. However, seeing Drapions arguing amongst themselves was entirely new altogether.

"Is this what that page from the diary was talking about? _Drapions _took down Treasure Town?" Galive whispered, still holding his stick in a vise-like grip.

"Perhaps. But one thing's for sure, it couldn't have been these two guys." The Sneasel replied, staring at the two arguing Drapions, one shiny and one not, that had emerged from the hole.

"Dude, I'm not deaf! You don't have to yell at point-blank range!" The shiny Drapion snapped.

"WELL, JUDGING BY THE WAY YOU'RE ACTING AND REACTING, YOU MIGHT AS WELL BE! APPARENTLY, THOSE EARS OF YOURS JUST SEEM TO BE THERE FOR DECORATIVE PURPOSES!"

"Dialga's getting really desperate, from the looks of things. I've seen several ridiculous guys that tried to end our lives, but this duo takes the title by a landslide." The Aura Pokemon said, her combat position relaxing a little. She briefly considered dissipating the bone even as the two scorpion-like Pokemon continued to bicker.

"Jeez, won't you just calm down? At this rate, you'll run out of energy long before we even find the three targets!"

"TRY PUTTING YOURSELF IN MY POSITION, YOU- Hey, are those the targets?"

Both Drapions turned their head ninety degrees, fixing their gazes on the trio on the run from Dialga.

"Let's see, Farfetch'd? Check. Lucario? Yep, no doubt there, although I thought most of them were wiped out already…"

Avis growled slightly at that statement.

"And a Sneasel? Recognize one of them anywhere. I'd say these are the three we're looking for."

The purple and brown Drapion turned back to his companion. "Won't a simple 'yes' cut it for you, Cryptos?"

"Where would the fun be in that single, three-lettered word?"

* * *

Even as the non-shiny Ogre Scorp Pokemon that wasn't named Cryptos smacked himself, the Lucario felt the ground stir slightly behind her right foot. Turning her head in that direction, her gaze fell upon a Skorupi that had nearly dug itself off the cliff. It seemed to note the shadow that was upon it and looked up, only to have a pair of crimson eyes meet its own teal-colored eyes.

To say that this was a rather one-sided match would be an understatement, to say the least.

"Have a nice swim." The Aura Pokemon shoved the tiny blue scorpion off the cliff with a tap of her bone weapon.

* * *

"You can make this easy for everyone and just give up already. Although I doubt you'd ever listen to that, since practically no one has ever done so…" The shiny Drapion called.

"If you aren't deaf, you're definitely blind!" Spectre shouted back. "There's three of us and only-"

The Sharp Claw Pokemon's words died on his tongue as the ground began to crack open in a dozen different places around the immediate area. Several Skorupi emerged from each of the new holes, their teal eyes fixed on the trio.

"_What'cha gonna do when we come for you?_"

The tuneless singing was stopped by a smack from the other, 'normal'-colored Drapion.

"Ow!"

Cryptos' partner sighed. "So, what's it going to be?"

The three wanted Pokemon looked at one another.

"I, for one, have no interest in being captured by these buffoons."

"HEY! I HEARD THAT!"

Galive and Avis sighed. "Mind giving them our answer, Spec?"

"Don't call me that." Spectre snapped at the Lucario, who shrugged. He turned back to face the group of scorpion-like Pokemon. Inhaling once, the Dark and Ice-Type Pokemon blasted the nearest Skorupi with a Blizzard attack.

To his credit, the Drapion didn't bother with words. Instead, he fired a barrage of purple needles at the Sneasel. The target of the Poison Sting attack promptly dived out of the way, almost falling off the edge of the cliff.

"Watch your step!" Avis snapped, whilst using her bone weapon to deflect more projectiles as a few of the Scorpion Pokemon began to open fire. Grunting with the effort, she slammed the tip of her weapon into the ground before ripping it free at an angle, sending chunks of rock flying towards her attackers.

"Watch _yours_!" Spectre snapped back. He leapt over a charging Skorupi, before grabbing another and tossing it into the first, sending them both over the cliff's edge.

"Looks like someone's having a lot of fun." He remarked, even as a purple needle shot past the Sneasel's ear.

"Take that!" The Farfetch'd shouted, smacking each of the scorpions with his stick as they emerged from the holes they'd dug. He smashed the stick down onto another one, before lifting the weapon up and making a slashing motion even as a rush of solidified air slammed into the emerging scorpions.

* * *

"Aren't you going to get in on the action personally?"

The other Drapion shot Cryptos a glare that would have ended his life if looks could kill.

"Aren't _you_ supposed to be sniping? That's what I was told you were best at…"

"Patience, patience. Waiting for the right moment to strike is of utmost importance to-"

The shiny Drapion's words were lost to the wind as his partner moved aside, even as a greenish-white bone struck the ground. Avis swore, pulling the weapon free even as she threw an Aura Sphere one-handed at the ground in front of Cryptos.

The shiny Ogre Scorp Pokemon winced as soil and dirt flew into his face, rendering him blind for the moment. Temporarily rid of one threat, she sprinted after the other Drapion, driving the end of her weapon into its side once she came within striking distance.

A pained gasp escaped the giant scorpion even as he swung his left claw at his attacker. Avis blocked the swing with her bone weapon, quickly shoving the claw away and raising her weapon to block the Drapion's tail.

The Lucario's attacker grinned, although it looked to her as though he was baring his teeth. Before Avis could react, the Drapion's tail swung around, slamming into her side and sending her flying. The blue jackal landed in a heap a few meters away, trying to shake away the black spots that clouded her vision.

"I thought you were more observant than that." Avis heard a voice remark even as a pair of silver claws blocked the barrage of purple darts that flew her way. Spectre finished off the overeager and opportunistic Skorupis with a chilling Blizzard attack, even as the Lucario staggered to her feet.

"Shut up!"

The Sharp Claw Pokemon sighed. "That's your way of showing gratitude?" He released another Blizzard attack, freezing some of the poisonous projectiles even as Avis deflected them back towards the attacking scorpions with her weapon.

A grunt from her not-so-unwanted companion caught her attention. Avis glanced in his direction, noticing that one of the purple darts had hit him in the shoulder. Although the wound didn't look significant, she knew that looks could be deceiving. Even as she sent a few more projectiles back to where they originated, the Lucario shifted her position slightly, placing herself in front of her injured companion.

"I can take care of myself, you know."

"So, that's _your _way of showing gratitude? We're even now, by the way." Avis readied herself for another barrage of Posion Sting attacks, but the Skorupi seemed to be staring at something in the sky for some unknown reason.

"Wha-" Before she could ask what was going on, the scorpion-like Pokemon dived back into their holes or dug new ones as a fireball smashed into the ground. The Lucario ducked her head to avoid getting hit by the flames even as she tried to figure out where the latest projectile originated from. The flames slowly died out, leaving behind a charred section of earth about half a meter in diameter.

"Damn it!" She heard one of the Drapions shout. "Those stupid Magmortars weren't supposed to start the twenty-one gun salute until we were out of the area!"

_Looks like someone just got backstabbed._ Avis thought. _Not that _that's_ going to do us any good now… _

Another fireball smashed into the ground, this one closer to Avis and Spectre than the last. This one erased a group of Skorupi that had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"That's the last time we ever take a job by Dialga! Let's get out of here!" Even as more fireballs began to smash into the broken ground, the Skorupis and the Ogre Scorp Pokemon wisely retreated underground and burrowed away.

* * *

"Guys! Above you!" Galive shouted, trying to warn the two 'lovebirds'-as he liked to call them- about the fireball that was headed their way. Even as the words left his beak, he knew that there wouldn't be enough time for him to do anything about it.

The Lucario looked up, before beginning to charge up an Aura Sphere, clearly intending to blast the incoming projectile aside. Even as she did so, Spectre shoved her aside with one claw, grunting with the effort and pain from his wounded shoulder.

Fortunately for the trio of wanted Pokemon, the fireball didn't land on any of them.

Unfortunately for them, and for the Sharp Claw Pokemon in particular, the impact of the fireball was enough to cause the weakened ground to give way, sending him over the edge of the cliff. Avis tried to pull him back, but the distance between the two was too great for her, even with ExtremeSpeed.

"That idiot… Why'd he push me aside?! I could have deflected it!"

"You wouldn't have charged up a Sphere of sufficient power to do so in time." Galive replied, hoping that those words wouldn't be his last.

Avis swore. Even then, two more fireballs blew craters into the ravaged earth around them while another sailed harmlessly over their heads to land in the rough waters below.

"We have to leave. Now." The Wild Duck Pokemon's tone was unusually gentle.

The Aura Pokemon looked over the edge even as Galive began to fly in the direction away from the cliff. She swore once again, before turning around and running after her friend, ignoring the damp feeling in the corner of her right eye.

* * *

_I probably should say this isn't the end._


	12. Aftermath

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. It's already obvious by now, no?**

* * *

Chapter 11: **Aftermath**

_Spectre's POV_

The first thing that got to me was the pain. I'm no stranger to wounds, but pain somehow always seems to find new ways to get to me every time I get injured. This time, the pain seemed to be concentrated at my right shoulder, although every part of my body seemed to ache.

"Well, well. Look who chose this moment to wake up. Looks like I won't be able to practice my dissection skills after all…"

I resisted the urge to shudder. I had no intention to become someone's experiment sample at that point of time, and my thoughts on that matter would probably remain the same throughout my life. Pain shot up my left hand even as a cooling numbness spread down my right, causing me to wince. Ignoring the pain, I slowly shifted myself into a sitting position, before opening my eyes.

"You're lucky the poison didn't spread to your arm. Otherwise, I would have had to amputate it." An unfamiliar voice spoke, before its owner chuckled. "Still, if you ever change your mind…"

"I'll keep my arm, thank you very much." I snapped, even as I noticed that I was in a cave, instead of in the ocean or anywhere else.

"You've got guts, buddy." A Scyther stepped into my line of sight. I half-expected to see blood on his scythes, but fortunately there wasn't any.

_I don't believe it. A _Scyther's _been treating my injuries?_

I noticed a series of bandages covering my right shoulder even as I began counting the number of fingers and toes that were still attached to my body. The green mantis chuckled again.

"Don't worry. These blades-" He ran the edge of one scythe down the other, before repeating the action with the opposite scythe. "-dissect or amputate only dead things."

"Where the hell am I?" I asked, even as I finished the digit-count.

"In a cave. Somewhere, in the middle of nowhere."

_That was very useful, jerk…_

"You're lucky that Omicron found you. The poison would have killed you in a matter of days if the wound was left untreated. Anyway, how are you feeling?"

"Confused, to say the least."

"Alright." The Scyther replied. "Then I think it's fine for you to walk about. If that wound shows any signs of infection, get back here immediately. It's not because I care, but because I want to get a second chance at amputating that hand."

"I'll keep that in mind." I swallowed nervously. _With medics like these, who needs to even score a killing blow?_

"Exit's down that passageway. I hope I don't see you again, for your sake." The Mantis Pokemon gestured towards the only visible way out of the cave, before chuckling again. "Otherwise, I'm sure it won't be pleasant…"

Not bothering to reply to his statement, I hastily got to my feet and headed towards the passageway. Apparently, the cave wasn't a deep one as I could see light coming from the end of the passageway, and I made it to the mouth of the cave within a few minutes.

"You're up at last."

Even as my eyes adjusted to the increase in light, I started searching for the Pokemon who had spoken. Turning to my right, I spotted the owner of the voice. Although I couldn't e sure whether it was him that had spoken, I felt safe to assume that he had as he was the only Pokemon in the vicinity.

"I'm assuming you're the guy that found me?" I asked, looking at the green and white figure's crimson eyes. The Gallade didn't say anything, instead meeting my gaze with his evenly.

"You're Omicron, aren't you?" I tried again.

"The rumors never said anything about you being sociable or talkative, Spectre." The Blade Pokemon finally said, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning against the wall beside the cave mouth.

I could feel one of my eyebrows twitching in annoyance. "What _did _they say, anyway?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just about you, a Lucario and a Farfetch'd raising five kinds of hell for Dialga's forces all over the place. You're not the only one doing that, you know."

"Really?" _That's strange. I never saw anyone else fighting against Dialga's minions…_

Omicron nodded. "Difference is, we don't make it so…" He paused for a moment, probably for dramatic effect. "-public. We're mercs, although we've stopped taking jobs from you-know-who ever since we heard about the stunt a few of its Magmortars pulled."

I turned my gaze away from the supposed master of swordsmanship. Even as I surveyed the area, which seemed to be a forest, I spotted a couple of tents in an open plain not far from where I was. There seemed to be figures moving around there, although I couldn't tell exactly due to the distance.

"So, that's your base of operations?" I questioned, trying to find out more.

"Yup. It's our little home away from home. Not as comfortable as Treasure Town once was, but you'll get used to it after a while."

"Treasure Town? You were in the dungeon exploration business once?" I turned to look at him again, trying to remember if I'd seen him before somewhere before.

"Once was. Made some great friends while being a raider, too. Unfortunately, they're all dead." The Gallade uncrossed his arms once, before crossing them again. The action caused a purple gem embedded in a green bracelet on his arm slightly above the blades to glint, and I noticed that the Gallade was wearing an identical one on his other arm as well. "The only reason why I survived was probably because I switched sides."

It took every ounce of willpower I had to not allow my jaw to drop. _So much for all Gallades being noble and on the side of justice…_

"You once worked for Dialga? But… why?"

"Once upon a time. And I'm not sure myself why I did it. A devil's whisper can sound like the voice of an angel, I guess. I deserted after the Town's fall, though."

Even as I stared into his eyes, I noticed that they seemed darker than usual. It was really obvious that Omicron had gone through some pretty traumatizing situations in his life.

"Still, I can't change the past. So I'll do what I can to try to make up for my mistakes." The Blade Pokemon finished.

_That's the 'noble' part of a Gallade, I guess. Makes me glad I'm not one. Stupid honor codes and nobility conundrums… They make my head spin just by thinking about them._

"It's almost sundown."

"Huh?" I looked up, just as day turned itself to night. "Lucky guess."

"Perhaps. Anyway, I'm on patrol duty tonight. If you're feeling up to it-"

"I'm coming with you." _Might as well try to get as much information as I can from him._ "Did you hear anything about Avis and Galive?"

"Your two partners in crime? No, although the others might have. You can try asking around after we get back."

"Right." _That wasn't really convincing. Still, I hope they're okay…_

"Oh, and one more thing." Omicron said, even as he began walking down a roughly-cut path towards the forest. "I'd stop bothering with the whole 'change-the-past' thing if I were you."

"Really? And might I ask why?"

"Because if you did change the past, then this future wouldn't exist. In other words, _none of us_ will exist. Remember that."

* * *

"Any idea why Dialga wanted them alive?"

"Not my place to ask. But we got two out of three targets live, so that's that."

The Scizor looked extremely unsatisfied with the Bone Keeper Pokemon's answer, but did nothing else other than clicking his pincers together once.

"Perhaps Dialga wants to turn them."

Kurenai's head shot up. "What? How is that even possible?"

The Marowak shrugged. "Something to do with the grey matter, I guess. Again, it's none of my business."

Apparently, the crimson Bug/Steel-Type Pokemon had other opinions. "That's just plain _wrong_. Even for a Legendary like Dialga…"

"You're going way over your head, Kurenai."

"Perhaps I am, Crainal. But ever since that order, I've been having doubts. Those Drapions and Skorupis weren't our targets, yet some of them got killed by the Magmortars all the same."

The Marowak stared at his companion even as the latter glared back. The other Pokemon in the vicinity shot each other uneasy glances, unsure of what to do next.

"You know our first and foremost priority is to serve Dialga."

"Yes, but it doesn't seem to be the right thing anymore." The Scizor straightened, turning his back on the Bone Keeper Pokemon. "I'm outta here."

"Kurenai." Crainal said, even as the Pincer Pokemon began walking away. "The next time I see you, I won't hesitate."

"So be it. Goodbye." The Scizor paused to reply, before disappearing into the woods.

* * *


	13. Chains of Fate

**Disclaimer: Even though I know no one bothers to read this, I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 12: **Chains of Fate**

"So tell me, what _exactly _are you supposed to be keeping an eye out for?"

"Oh, anything out the ordinary. Flying Mareep, Magikarp on land, Rhyperiors firing water instead of rocks, stuff like that." The green and white Blade Pokemon replied, grabbing a low branch and swinging himself up onto another one above it.

Spectre slashed the very same low branch that was in his way aside with his left claw. "You've got some sense of humor, Omicron."

"I always try." The Gallade's voice called from above. Even if there was sunlight, the Sharp Claw Pokemon doubted that he could have spotted Omicron in the trees, as only the occasional rustle of leaves or a branch shaking slightly marked his presence above.

"How long does this duty last?"

The leaves of a nearby tree swayed in the wind even as the mercenary landed at its base soundlessly. Spectre opened his mouth to ask for a reply, but kept the question unasked as the Gallade made a quick cutting gesture over his throat, the signal for 'shut up'.

"There's some of you-know-who's followers in a clearing, about thirty meters to the left."

"So _that's _what you're really looking out for? And what are you going to do about it?" The Sneasel asked in a low whisper.

"What else? Treasure? And I'm going to take them out. Can't take any risks out here."

The Sharp Claw Pokemon shrugged. "You can't just go charging in there screaming and swinging those blades of yours like a madman, you know."

"That's why you're going to distract them. Get their attention and I'll strike them from behind. That way, there's a smaller chance of one of them sneaking off."

"So much for the honor codes you Gallades are known for. And why am I the distraction?"

Omicron punched the Sneasel's wounded shoulder lightly, causing the owner of the wound to wince.

"That's why. And the definition of honor is somewhat flexible in fields of battle." He replied, before extending his elbow blades and using them to climb up a nearby tree. Even as Spectre contemplated on the ways he could distract Dialga's followers without getting killed or seriously maimed, the Gallade swiftly vanished into the trees above.

* * *

_Avis' POV_

Right now, I can't help but think about some of the stories I grew up listening to when I was still a Riolu. Stories about great battles, victories against impossible odds, but right now, I keep thinking about those revolving around prisoners. They were the unlucky guys (or perhaps girls) that got captured and usually spent the rest of their lives in some hellish prison or something similar until they were released or died.

I just never thought I'd be one of them.

From what I could see, I was in a cave that had only one entrance (or exit, depending on where you are), and the earlier-mentioned hole in the wall linked it to a passageway that I presumed belonged to a bigger cave. When I'd first woken up here, I obviously tried to leave via the exit, but I soon discovered a barrier of sorts obstructed the way. Undaunted, I had tried to use an Aura Sphere to blow my way through, but I was unable to summon the sphere for some reason. Dismissing it as battle fatigue, I decided to try again later when I felt slightly better.

_I wonder if prisoners ever died of boredom…_

Sighing, I shoved that thought and those about death aside. I'd already counted the number of cracks in the rock wall and the number of pebbles on the ground to pass the time, so that wouldn't work again.

_Might as well give it another try. _I got up, ignoring the fact that the area beyond was most likely patrolled by Dialga's minions. _After all, this sure beats doing nothing…_

I inhaled, trying to calm myself down. _Just concentrate. Form the Aura around you into a sphere of energy and hurl it at your target. It's as simple as that._

For me, summoning up Aura Spheres was as natural as breathing. Ever since Dialga took over, I've been hurling them every single day of my life. However, today seemed to be an exception, as no matter how hard I tried, the technique kept failing. Although the Sphere not forming at all wasn't anything as spectacular as the Sphere exploding in my face, the end result was still the same. It just didn't make sense at all. Then again, things rarely did.

"Save your energy, young warrior. You're never going to succeed, not here at least."

Even though the unknown voice sounded feeble, there was a sense of authority and seriousness behind it that compelled me to listen to it, at least for the moment. Even as I turned around to search for its source, a figure detached itself from the cave wall, stepping out into the open where I easily spotted it.

"Surprised to see another Lucario, warrior?" I barely prevented myself from stepping back in shock even as the same voice spoke again. Ever since the attack, I hadn't seen another living Lucario at all. To meet one here of all places was unexpected, to say the least.

This Lucario was obviously an old one, as there were streaks of grey through the blue fur and the arm spikes had been broken off, whether through battle or otherwise I couldn't say. Even though the crimson eyes stared back at me sightlessly, but the other Lucario- I started to think of him as a male from his voice- didn't seem affected by this handicap.

"Your answer is clear to me even without you voicing it."

I started to form an apology, but the other Aura Pokemon cut me off. "If you want to know why your techniques aren't working, it's because of where we are."

"Wh-what do you mean? And who are you?" I asked, still a bit stunned that I was actually talking to another of my kind.

"My name is Reidar, and I was once a warrior like you. The location where we are kept is unique. Time is distorted here, rendering all those here unable to use their moves. It also has the effect of enabling anyone within it to survive without food or water, for as long as they are here."

_At least it's good to know that I haven't lost my touch._

The elder Lucario's head turned slightly to the side, as though he was contemplating something. "I sense your desire to grow stronger, warrior. Yet, your aura tells me many things more about you other than that."

"Isn't it natural to want to become stronger?" I cautiously asked, trying to shift the focus of the conversation.

"To become better, to go further, those are things that everyone wishes for. The _reasons _why they wish for it, however, differ. Some wish to rule above all, while others desire to protect those close to their hearts." Reidar slowly sat down on the ground, and even though I had only met him about a few minutes ago, I did the same out of respect. The elder Lucario closed his sightless eyes for a moment, before opening them again.

"I sense your heart is worried and confused."

"I'm worried about my friends." I admitted. _I hope those two are okay…_ "But I don't understand what you mean by 'confused'."

"That, young warrior, is for you and you alone to figure out." Reidar clapped my shoulder with his paw. "All I can tell you is that your feelings are in conflict."

_Feelings? In conflict? What the hell?_

"Anyway, were you taught Blaze Kick?" He asked, utterly changing the subject.

"No. None of my masters knew it, and I couldn't find anything else on it. Besides, it draws upon your life force, and you could burn yourself out using it too often."

"So that's what they teach you youngsters these days?" Reidar snorted in disgust. "That's only one side of the story. Truth is, this technique cannot be taught. It will come to _you _naturally when you are ready."

"What?" _Will anything he say ever make sense for once?!_

The elder Aura Pokemon released my shoulder. "Remember, warrior. If you are to become stronger, the heart is the key."

* * *

_Spectre's POV_

" 'You're going to distract them.' Easy for you to say, jerk." I muttered to myself.

Thinking of a way to distract the dozen or so- I had time to poke my head out of a bush for a quick count- Pokemon that served the now-crazy Lord of Time wouldn't be a problem.

_Throw a rock, step on a twig, run into the open and make a rude hand gesture or scream something offensive, the list goes on…_

Unfortunately, none of the above three would guarantee my safety. And with the pain that sometimes shot through my shoulder when I moved, I wasn't up for another one-sided jungle brawl.

_Damn, there's got to be _something _that isn't dangerous and will work!_ I struggled to contain my frustration even as I racked my brains for an idea or two, but drawing a blank in the end. Eventually, I began moving towards my left to see if there was anything there.

_Crack._

"Arceus, you hate me right now, don't you?" I swore. There was no way that two dozen pairs of ears could miss the sound of a dry twig cracking. For a moment, silence filled the air, before being replaced by the sound of air rushing forward. Before I knew what was happening, a wave of solidified air slammed into my back and sent me flying forward, before gravity took over and I crashed into the earth.

"Look who we have here."

I got to my feet unsteadily, noticing movement in the jungle. Even as the stars cleared from my vision, the same voice spoke again.

"If it isn't the last of the three. We thought you were dead, but apparently the rumors were wrong. Well, we'll rectify that soon."

The pain in my shoulder had returned, adding to that from the Air Slash that hit me from behind. Even as I readied my claws, I had a feeling that the chances of me making it out of this battle alive were practically the same as a Spelon Berry growing on an Oran Berry tree.

"When I said _distract_, Spectre, I didn't mean use yourself as bait." There was a slight rustling sound, before the Gallade leapt out of his hiding place in the tree branches above, landing near-soundlessly beside me.

_Thanks for showing up now, you Arceus-dammed idiot…_

From what I could see in the moonlight, Dialga's minions didn't seem too happy about the Blade Pokemon's arrival. A Scyther in particular was pretty vocal about his feelings.

"You dare show up again, you betrayer?!" I recognized the enraged Mantis Pokemon's voice as the one that had spoken earlier.

"Got a problem with that?" Omicron replied calmly. The Blade Pokemon extended his elbow blades, before running the edge of the right blade over that of the left once. The gems embedded in his bracelets seemed to be glowing brighter than usual, although it could have just been the moonlight reflecting off them.

Even as I watched, the glow seemed to spread to the Gallade's tonfa-like blades, illuminating them in an eerie purple light against the darkness of the night. Despite this, the Scyther remained unfazed, shifting his position as though he was getting ready to attack.

"As a matter of fact, yes." The Mantis Pokemon growled, before charging.

To anyone else, a Scyther charging at you would probably be one of the last things you'd want to see. After all, their proficiency at ending lives on a battlefield was equal to, or even greater, than their ability to slice Berries up into a quick meal.

Omicron, however, smiled. Instead of dodging to either side or leaping back up into the tree branches, he met the Scyther's charge with his own. Even as the Mantis Pokemon swung his right scythe, the Gallade blocked it casually before rolling over the green insect-like Pokemon's back.

"Try again in a couple of decades." The Blade Pokemon commented. Even as I watched the Scyther try to change the direction he was going in, Omicron slashed the air in front of him diagonally with his right elbow blade. To me, history seemed to repeat itself as a pink crescent of energy slammed into the Mantis Pokemon's back, sending him flying into a nearby tree with enough force to crack the bark.

"Well then!" The Gallade called, turning around to face the majority of the other Pokemon. "Who's up next?"

The Pokemon that served Dialga glanced at one another, before seemingly coming to a silent consensus as they charged simultaneously forward.

"Are you crazy?!" I hissed. "Why'd you have to taunt them like that? Aren't you afraid of dying?!"

"Nope." Omicron crossed his elbow blades briefly, before lowering them to hip-level. The gems on his bracelets flared again, just before the air to either side of him started to shimmer as though it was a pond that someone had just thrown a pebble into. A moment later, two more Gallades materialized into being.

_Double Team? A lot of good those illusions are going to do against eleven opponents. And what the hell is up with those bracelets of his?_

The first Pokemon to come within range of Omicron's elbow blades had the misfortune of being on the receiving end of a Leaf Blade attack, dissolving into sand almost at the same instant that the blade made contact. The illusions, however, were different from those formed by a regular Pokemon's Double Team attack. The pair of illusions blocked the Poison Jabs that a pair of Toxicroaks attempted with their own elbow blades before finishing them off with two point-blank Psycho Cuts, clearly capable of making physical contact with their surroundings.

A Houndoom further back shifted its position, trying to outflank the Gallade that once fought for Dialga. I took a step forward, intending to engage it in combat, before a plume of flame engulfed it completely from its left. When the flames died down, only a scorch mark and ash remained to mark where it once stood.

"It's open season! Yahoo!" The bushes from which the flames originated from rustled, even as a second Flamethrower attack engulfed a Heracross a few meters away from the ill-fated Houndoom's position. A yellow arm brushed the bushes aside even as the Magmortar raised his other hand to launch yet another fiery assault.

"Play with fire, you get burnt, that's what they say! Well, I'm playing with fire, but _you're _getting burnt! It's a _blast_!" Even as the probably-maniacal pyromaniac laughed, his cannon-like right hand tracked another Houndoom as it leapt, before the Blast Pokemon blasted the hellhound-like Dark/Fire Type with a Hyper Beam.

"Don't worry. Vulcan over there's friendly." Omicron said calmly. Behind him, the two illusions created by his Double Team technique finished off the last of Dialga's minions with a succession of Leaf Blade attacks, before fading out of existence in the same way that they came. The Blade Pokemon exhaled deeply, returning his elbow blades to their pre-combat length even as the purple glow faded away from them.

"I'll do to you what a volcano does to a tree! But, since you're Mr. Seeking Redemption's friend, I'll just have to use you for target practice instead!" The supposedly-friendly Magmortar laughed, even as I stared.

_It's official. He's mad._

"You're too… late…"

The Scyther's voice was soft, but it was still audible to us. Even as Omicron, Vulcan and I headed over to the tree that the Mantis Pokemon had been blasted into by the Gallade's Psycho Cut, I couldn't help but wonder how he was able to survive such a powerful attack or even the impact that was a direct result of the Psychic-type move.

Only when we reached the base of the tree did we see that the Scyther wouldn't live much longer. One scythe hung limply by his side at an unnatural angle and the pair of wings on his back were torn and crushed by the impact of flesh against wood and the Psycho Cut attack. He seemed to be turning into sand as would any of Dialga's minions upon death, but the Scyther was still alive for the moment.

"When Dialga… corrupts… them, you'll be… forced… to kill your comrades…"

A moment later, only a pile of sand remained at the base of the tree.

_Comrades? That means those two are alive… _For a moment, my thoughts shifted to the annoying Lucario for some reason, but I quickly refocused on the task at hand.

"I have to go after h- after them."

Omicron shrugged. "Your call. Do you even know where to look?"

"No." I admitted. The master of courtesy opened his mouth to speak again.

"Why not ask he-who-onced-served-Dialga?" Vulcan interrupted. The Pokemon that he was referring to shot him a glare, wordlessly warning him to choose his next words carefully.

"The hotheaded guy's got a point. Do you know what he meant by 'corrupt'?"

The Gallade sighed. "Yes, I do. Just the general gist of it, though, but that's more than enough information for anyone. Dialga, being a Legendary and all, can twist other Pokemon's minds, bending them to its will. That's all you need to know."

"You still haven't told me where I can find my friends."

"You didn't ask."

"I'm asking now." I fought to keep the irritation out of my voice.

"Well, you won't have to bother about searching all over the world, because there's only one place that you'll find them. Just head north until you get to a series of caves. You'll find them there."

Even as Omicron was finishing his last sentence, I had already begun sprinting.

* * *

_Omicron's POV_

"He didn't even stop to say goodbye. What a guy."

I glared at Vulcan, before a wave of dizziness and fatigue washed over me. Leaning against the nearest tree, I shook my head, trying to clear my vision even as I battled to stay upright.

_Not again… _My gaze briefly went to the two bracelets on my arms. Although I couldn't prove it beyond all doubt, the gems set in them looked duller than usual.

"Hey, are you alright? Did the flame of your life get weaker or something?"

"Shut up." I snapped. "Go back to base already. I'll catch up with you later."

The Blast Pokemon shook his head. "And you were the one who called me for backup…"

"I didn't ask you to stick around after that, right?"

Vulcan shrugged, disappearing into the jungle. I took a deep breath to calm myself down, even as my vision slowly returned to normal. Although I felt tired and a bit dizzy, it was nothing that I couldn't handle.

_Sorry about this, Vulcan. But this… it's something I must do._

I extended my right elbow blade, using it to carve a message in the tree's bark for Vulcan. By the time he got it, I would be long gone.

_Spectre, you asked whether I was afraid of death._

As soon as I finished carving the last word into the bark, I returned the blade to its original length and lowered it.

_Well, I can tell you that I'm not. I'm not afraid of dying or death._

I looked over the words that I had carved one more time, before jumping up into the trees and leaping from branch to branch in the direction that the Sneasel had gone.

_After all, a little bit of me… dies every day._

* * *


	14. Infiltration

**Disclaimer: So it has been written down, thou do not own Pokemon.**

* * *

Chapter 13: **Infiltration **

_Damn. Where the hell did he go?_

Vulcan swore once again, even as low branches snapped off the trees they were previously attached to as the Magmortar simply walked through them, not bothering to brush them aside.

_It's almost daybreak. Man, how many hiding spots can there be for a Gallade in a place like this? Well, I could just burn down the whole damned place… That'll flush him out for sure._

The Blast Pokemon sighed, recognizing the clearing he walked into as the same one that he'd helped the Blade Pokemon take down a group of Dialga's minions. This time, however, some scratch marks on the bark of a nearby tree caught his eye.

_That doesn't look natural._ Closing the distance between him and the tree with a few strides, the Magmortar crouched down to look at the scratch marks, realizing on closer inspection that they were words.

Even as he started to mentally read the words carved into the bark, it became clear that it was a message for him, left by the very same Gallade that he'd been searching for. Vulcan frowned.

_Well, at least I won't have to waste any more of my energy searching for Mr. Redemption._ He stood up, before glancing over his shoulder.

_So, you finally decided to go solo, eh? You could have just told me, jerk. _

* * *

_Spectre's POV_

_When the front door's blocked, go through the back. Well, Mom and Dad forgot to tell me how to infiltrate if there _wasn't _a back door._

I sighed, continuing to watch Dialga's minions patrol the immediate area around the caves, as I had been doing for the past two days or so. Every time I thought I spotted a blind spot in the patrol, a group of Pokemon would always fill it in.

Strangely, even though I hadn't eaten nor slept in the past two days or so, I didn't feel hungry or tired at all. It was almost as though time itself had stopped in this place.

_Damn it. Just move away already so I can go in! _Briefly, I considered charging in and attacking anyone I saw, but I quickly eliminated any thoughts down that line as that was not only a stupid plan, but a suicidal one as well.

_Still, it beats not doing anything at all… And I don't even know how the two of them are._

"So, have you figured out a way in yet?"

"No. So just shut u-" I whirled around, my gaze quickly falling on Omicron. The Gallade was casually leaning against a tree with his arms crossed as though he owned the place. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

The Blade Pokemon didn't even flinch at my tone. "Helping you rescue your girlfriend."

"Uh, thanks- Wait, she's not my girlfriend!"

"Right… Then why would you run off the moment you got the location? And keep your voice down, idiot."

I clenched my right hand into a fist, trying to keep my anger under control. _For the love of Arceus, why the hell does everyone think that she and I are together?! _

"It's strange."

"What is?" Omicron asked.

"I don't feel hunger or fatigue, even though I've not slept or eaten in two days."

"Oh, that. Well, that's something I forgot to tell you before you ran off. Time's distorted here. You can't use your moves, but you don't need food or water to survive. Another lesser-known effect is that fatigue takes longer to set in."

_Thanks a lot for telling me that now. This just makes our situation better._

"This applies to Dialga's minions as well?"

The Gallade nodded once. Uncrossing his arms, he leapt up and grabbed a tree branch, swinging himself up onto it in one quick motion.

"They've increased the patrols since the last time I was here."

"Well, since you've been here before, can't you think of a way to get us both in there?"

The Blade Pokemon looked down at me. "The last time I was here, I was on Dialga's side. So I walked in through the front door."

I sighed, before returning my gaze to the patrolling Pokemon.

"You'd better rescue your friends soon. Once the mind-control sets in, it's near-impossible to break the hold Dialga has on you."

"Thanks for the info." _Thanks for the _useless _info, jerk._ I continued to observe Dialga's minions, trying to think up a plan.

"I have an idea."

"Let's hear it." I shifted my gaze to Omicron, who seemed to be contemplating something.

"I don't think you'd want to. It's crazy, suicidal and the chances of it succeeding are nearly zero."

I grinned. "Those types of plans usually work."

* * *

"This sucks."

"I agree with you, partner. Guard duty always sucks. And we've been stuck here for the past, uh, five years?"

"I think it was six."

The Toxicroak guarding the entrance of the cave sighed. "Who in the world would want to come here anyway? There's no one worth saving here."

The Toxic Mouth Pokemon's partner, a Heracross, shook his horned head. "Well, there's that Lucario, supposedly the last of her kind-"

"Someone's approaching." The Posion/Dark Type Pokemon interrupted the Single Horn Pokemon. The bushes near the cave's mouth rustled, even as the two guards turned towards it.

"It's me." A familiar-looking Gallade emerged from the bushes.

"Omicron?!"

"Who else? And that guy's with me." The Blade Pokemon pointed over his shoulder, even as the two guards spotted a Sneasel following him.

"Now, if you don't mind, there's work to be done." Omicron and the Sharp Claw Pokemon brushed past the guards and walked into the cave, leaving the pair on guard duty to openly stare.

"I didn't know he was coming. After all, usually we're informed if one of the more elite members of Dialga's personal guard was coming."

"Nor did I. And isn't it 'eliter'?" The Heracross asked.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's 'more elite'. Let's just do our duty."

"Right. Can't be caught slacking on the job, after all."

* * *

"I can't believe that we actually pulled that one off. How stupid can those guards be?"

"We got lucky, Spectre. Those two were the exact same guards I saw on duty the last time I came here. They've been guarding this place for over six years without a break. Thus, they don't know about me switching sides." The Gallade glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone had followed them.

"Okay, now we're in. Now, how do we find them? It's not like we can just walk up to one of the guards and ask for directions, after all."

"I thought _you _had that part worked out."

The Sharp Claw Pokemon glared at Omicron for a moment, before swearing under his breath. Omicron shrugged.

"Come on."

"What?" Spectre looked up, even as the Blade Pokemon began walking down the passageway.

"You do want to find and rescue your friends, right? Well, time doesn't wait for anyone." The master of swordsmanship turned a corner and continued walking, even as the Sneasel struggled to keep up with him. The Blade Pokemon didn't even glance behind him, continuing to walk down passages whilst seemingly relying on a mental map of the area to guide him.

"What the-" The Dark/Ice Type Pokemon turned a corner, only to walk straight into the Gallade's back. "Hey, what's your problem?!"

"Shut up. I'm trying to see if I can find your friends." Omicron snapped. Spectre shifted his position, trying to get a clear view of what the Gallade was observing.

"Why don't you just ask one of those Pokemon? With your influence, I'm sure they'll help you." He suggested, pointing to a group of Pokemon that were guarding several entrances that branched out from the new passageway.

"Too risky. I could recognize those guys guarding that-" Omicron pointed over his shoulder towards the main entrance. "-but not any of these guys. If they know I'm no longer on their side, then we're screwed."

"Search for a Lucario first, then."

"Why, you want to rescue your girlfriend first?"

"No. A Lucario's easier to spot than a Farfetch'd, that's why. And for the last time, she is _not _my girlfriend. Okay?" The Sharp Claw Pokemon snapped, resisting the urge to yell out loud the last two sentences.

"Whatever you say." Omicron shrugged, before resuming his observation of the caves. "Although someone I knew once told me that denial is the first step towards love, or something along those lines."

Spectre's reply had absolutely nothing to do with Omicron's statement. "Let's just enter those passages and search for them already."

The Blade Pokemon who once served Dialga shook his head. "One, those guys will be on us before you can say 'Damn.'. Two, the entrances are blocked by barriers. And three, those aren't passages, they're holding cells. I've been trying to see if I can spot your friends in any of those."

"How can you see through barriers?!"

"They're _transparent_." Omicron's head turned slightly to the side. "Finally."

"Finally what?"

"I found your friend. The Lucario one, I think, but I can't be sure. And before you ask, she's in the cell on the extreme left."

Before the Sneasel could do or say anything, the duo's luck ran out.

"Intruders! Kill them!"

Omicron sighed. "I had a feeling this would happen." Without hesistation, the Gallade extended his elbow blades and leapt into the midst of Dialga's minions in the same amount of time taken for a Pokemon to blink once.

* * *

_Avis' POV_

"I sense that we will soon be out of here."

Reidar's words didn't make sense to me as usual, but a loud crash outside of the cave I was in snapped me out of my meditative trance. Getting to my feet, I glanced over my shoulder in the direction of the invisible barrier, only to see a Heracross slam into it with such force that it bounced off the barrier and landed at least a meter away.

_He might actually be right, for once._

I shut my eyes, using the Aura to sense what was going on outside. All I could sense, however, was someone continuously moving even as the other Pokemon outside began to fade out of existence one by one. A moment later, a familiar presence outside caught my attention.

_Spectre?! What the hell is he doing here?_

"So, your friends are here to rescue you? Treasure these friendships of yours, for they are as rare as the Legendaries themselves."

I snorted. _As if he'd come to rescue me. Although that's not a bad thought…_ Almost as quickly as that thought came into my mind, I banished it out.

"That's the last of them." An unfamiliar voice from outside the cave commented. Before I could sense who it belonged to, the sound of footsteps coming closer made me open my eyes.

The first thing I spotted was the Gallade examining the barrier. His elbow blades were already extended to their full length and I assumed that he was responsible for the ruckus outside that I'd heard earlier. The Blade Pokemon outside the cave frowned, before tapping the barrier once with his right elbow blade. There was a flash of sparks, before the barrier shattered into pieces and disappeared.

"Done." The elbow blades returned to their pre-combat length. "Hey, Spectre, your girl's over here."

My eyebrow twitched in anger. _What the hell?! It's a global rumor now?! _

"Didn't I tell you before? She's not my girl!" The Sharp Claw Pokemon snapped, stepping into view from behind the supposed master of courtesy. Seeing him again made my heart skip a beat for some strange reason.

"I didn't ask you to come rescue me, did I?!"

Spectre shrugged. "That proves you've haven't been corrupted yet, Avis."

_Corrupt? Is that what Dialga was planning to do to everyone here?_

For the first time since I met him, seeing that annoying Sneasel wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. I even felt like smiling, something I rarely did in this time and age.

"I hate to interrupt this very touching reunion, but we have to get out of here. There's no way that the noise from that battle would go unnoticed." The Gallade spoke up.

"Omicron's right. We have to leave, now." Spectre added, before turning to the Blade Pokemon. "I'm surprised you didn't flirt with her."

Omicron shook his head. "Sorry. This Gallade's heart already belongs to someone else."

"Your heart is troubled, wandering knight."

Three pairs of eyes turned to the sightless Lucario.

"You are held back by deeds you committed in the past. Never forget, you can't change what has happened, but you can change what will happen. Do not be burdened by your past, but rather draw strength from it and let it go."

_And up until the end, he doesn't make sense._

"You'd best flee as well, old one." I winced at the Blade Pokemon's choice of words.

_So much for courtesy…_

"If Dialga's minions find you here, your fate will not be pleasant." Omicron nodded once, before darting out of the cave, Spectre following him a moment later.

"Goodbye, Reidar."

"Goodbye, warrior. One last thing, goodbye is not the end, but the start of something new."

_At least that made some sense._ Turning away from the blind Lucario, I sprinted in the direction that the two of them had gone.

* * *

Through the Aura, the elder Lucario watched as Avis departed from the cave.

_Flee?_ He snorted once, before surrendering to a small grin. _Wherever to?_

* * *


	15. Prison Break

**Disclaimer: Pokemon does not belong to me.**

* * *

Chapter 14: **Prison Break**

_Crash._

Omicron watched with satisfaction as another barrier shattered to pieces. _Still as weak as ever. This place hasn't changed one bit._

"That's the last cell." The Gallade commented, returning his elbow blades back to their original length. He watched as the imprisoned Pokemon made their escape, before turning back to the Sharp Claw and the Aura Pokemon. "No sign of your Farfetch'd friend, though."

"At least they're clever enough not to keep two comrades close to one another." Spectre remarked. "Are there any other passages like this one?"

"Yeah. A whole bunch of them. We don't have time to search them all, though. There's no way that the noise from the battle would go unnoticed by the other guards around here, so it's only a matter of time before this… 'riot' of sorts gets spotted."

The Sneasel opened his mouth to say something, but Avis beat him to the draw.

"I can help with that. Rather, the Aura can help with that."

The Blade Pokemon nodded, even as Spectre muttered something under his breath. The Lucario chose to ignore whatever he said and closed her eyes, searching for Galive's presence in the Aura.

"Got him." The Aura Pokemon opened her eyes after what seemed like an eternity.

Omicron nodded, indicating with his right hand that she lead the way. The Sharp Claw Pokemon merely crossed his arms across his chest.

"It's about time. I'm kind of glad we found you first, though." He remarked. Avis couldn't sense any sarcasm in the Sneasel's tone, but decided not to take his words at face value anyway.

"There they are! Get them!"

"Move it, Granny!" Spectre snapped. The Aura Pokemon growled under her breath, before deciding that the five seconds she would need to kick the Sharp Claw Pokemon in the gut would be too valuable to waste in the situation they were in. Even as she tried to keep her anger under control, Avis started running down the passageway that Omicron and Spectre had earlier used to get to her.

The Blade Pokemon waited until the duo had entered the passageway, before slashing the low ceiling with his elbow blades. Ignoring the pain that the action resulted in, he leapt back to avoid the falling rocks and sprinted after his two companions.

_That should hold them for a while. _He thought, catching up to the Lucario and Spectre as they turned a corner and exited the passageway, ending up in a cavern similar to the one that they'd previously entered, minus the guards.

"Where'd everyone go?" Spectre remarked.

"Don't jinx it. My guess is that everyone here was called to chase us earlier, which means that they're all probably stuck in that previous cavern now." The former servant of Dialga replied, his gaze sweeping across the five cells in the cavern. "Which cell?"

Avis didn't bother to reply. She strode towards the second cell from the left and struck the barrier that blocked its entrance. Although the barrier glowed brightly where the Lucario's palm had hit it, it remained intact. Avis muttered a word that her parents once told her never to say, before swinging her right leg in an arc and landing a roundhouse kick on it.

A flash of sparks later, the barrier ceased to exist. For some reason, a chill went up the Sharp Claw Pokemon's spine on seeing the Lucario's method of smashing the barrier, but he quickly dismissed it as a figment of his imagination.

* * *

_Omicron's POV_

I winced as the recently-freed Aura Pokemon's foot collided with the barrier, shattering it to bits in a shower of sparks.

_Ouch. I'd hate to get on her bad side…_

"Galive? Are you alright?" Avis called, even as I moved to the left of the cell.

Only silence met her.

"Galive?"

"_- we're stuck in this cell, just you and me! There's nowhere to flee, so leave us be!_"

If there was a competition for the world's most tuneless and terrible singer, I was certain that whoever the cell housed would have won it by a landslide. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Spectre covering his ears even as Avis winced slightly.

"That proves he's alive, at least." The Sneasel remarked, even as the Farfetch'd and his cellmate, a Roserade, continued to sing songs whose lyrics made no sense whatsoever.

"Oh, hey there!" The Wild Duck Pokemon stopped singing when he spotted his rescuers. "Want to join us?"

"No. And we have to go now!" Avis snapped. Galive shrugged and got up, grabbing his stick which had been leaning against the wall at the same time.

"I'm staying here." Three pairs of eyes turned to the Bouquet Pokemon.

"It's not everyday that I get free lodging. So, see ya!" The Roserade waved his right hand lazily at us, before humming another tune under his breath as the Farfetch'd left the cell.

For some reason, seeing another Roserade, even though it was a male one, brought back memories of _her_…

_No._ I shook my head to clear my thoughts, barely suppressing the wave of emotions that washed over me. _I can't think of _her,_ not after what I did…_

"Hey, you fine over there?" I blinked, pushing away the stick that the Farfetch'd was waving in front of my face with my right hand.

"Yeah. That's everyone, right?"

Spectre nodded. "So, are you going to lead us out of here already? Because I don't think Dialga's minions are going to just sit around and do nothing, and you're the only one who knows the way out."

_Didn't you even bother to try to memorize the way in?_

"Right. Just try to keep up with me." Without waiting for an answer, I turned and headed in the direction of the exit at a near-sprinting speed. I heard the sound of footsteps behind me as I ran, but didn't bother to turn around to look.

"Slow down a bit, will you?!" Spectre called even as I approached a corner.

"Dialga's minions sure aren't goi-" The air left my lungs as a Golbat tackled me from the side, catching me off-guard. There was a loud crash as I slammed into the wall, before the bat-like Pokemon sank its teeth into the flesh of my left shoulder.

I heard Avis curse, wincing even as pain shot through what seemed like every nerve in my body. Extending my right elbow blade, I stabbed the Golbat in its back with it before it could do any more damage to me. A moment later, the sand that fell onto the wound in my shoulder made me flinch again.

_Damn…_

I clamped my good hand over the injury even as I recalled the ramifications of getting bitten by a Pokemon of the Zubat evolutionary line in 'the zone'. Even though I could tolerate the pain and the wound didn't seem to affect my ability to fight with my left hand, the blood loss was another story altogether.

"That looks really bad." The Aura Pokemon said, noticing the blood that had formed thin lines snaking through my right hand. Droplets of crimson liquid dripped onto the floor near my feet, staining the rock a deep shade of red.

"It's nothing. Now, we really have to hurry. They'll be onto us real soon." The pain was starting to come back, but I focused on continuing to put one foot ahead of the other.

_Sorry about lying to you. But if any of you knew the truth, you'd probably waste valuable time trying to delay the inevitable for me. I barely know the three of you, but I can't let all of you just throw your lives away like that for someone that doesn't deserve saving._

I removed my right hand from the wound, ignoring the looks that Avis, Spectre and Galive were probably giving me. I didn't bother to try to stop the bleeding any longer, as I remembered that the anti-clotting substances in the Golbat's saliva wouldn't wear off due to the time distortion effects of 'the zone'.

_That's what makes any member of the Zubat evolutionary line so deadly here. The effects of the saliva are permanent, which means that anyone bitten is going to bleed out, sooner or later._

* * *

"Could this day get any worse, partner?"

"Shut up. We did our duty in the rain countless times before. Oh, and a group of Dialga's minions are coming over. They should be here pretty soon."

The Heracross mulled over the new information, trying to ignore the cold feeling of raindrops falling on him. "Don't you find it strange that Dialga sent _two _groups?"

"No. But I don't care. I'm just doing my job." The Toxicroak replied, seemingly oblivious to the rain. The Single Horn Pokemon shrugged, before the sound of footsteps behind the duo caused them to look over their shoulders.

"That's new." The blue Bug and Fighting-type Pokemon commented as four Pokemon ran past him and his partner, closely followed by what seemed to be half of the guards assigned to guard the inside of the cave network. "Wonder what's going on?"

"Who cares? Our orders are to guard the entrance of this cave, not to go chasing after Lucarios or anything else, for that matter." The second sentence that left the Poison-Type Pokemon's mouth sounded as though he had repeated it countless times to himself.

"So you're just going to ignore it?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

The Heracross sighed as he heard his partner's reply. He stared at the figures that steadily grew smaller, before returning to his duty as the Pokemon disappeared into the surrounding jungle.

* * *

"Get them already!"

The Lucario that was wanted by Dialga's forces dead or alive (but probably wanted dead now) swore, even as she ran for her life into the jungle. Raindrops pelted her, causing her blue fur to turn an even darker shade of colbat.

"Avis! Watch your right!"

The Aura Pokemon instinctively attempted to fire an Aura Sphere at the white object that was flying towards her. To her surprise, the blue ball of energy formed without any problems and deflected the bone flying towards here, sending it spinning back in the direction where it originated.

_Flying bones… That can only mean one thing. _Avis thought, before resuming her sprint towards her friends. Leaping over a fallen tree, the Lucario briefly searched for the presence of her friends in the Aura, before heading in the direction that she sensed them.

_I hope Spectre and that Gallade have this part of the escape planned out…_ She thought, even as she burst through the bushes ahead of her. The sight that greeted her eyes surprised her, for it was not the one she had expected.

In front of her, the forest had abruptly ended, with a deep ravine in its place. It was also too wide for most Pokemon to jump across, which meant that the forest on the other side would provide decent cover if she could get to it.

"Over here!" The Aura Pokemon turned, spotting Galive waving his stick at her. Behind him, Avis noticed that Spectre was testing what looked like an old rope bridge that spanned the gap between the two forests. Even as she headed towards them, the Sharp Claw Pokemon turned towards her and nodded, indicating that the bridge was safe to use.

"Guess this is where we part."

"What the heck do you mean? You're coming with us."

Omicron shook his head. "No, I'm not. I'm not making it out of this one. And before you ask why, let me remind you that Dialga's minions are going to be here soon, so I can only give you the abridged version."

The Gallade paused to catch his breath, before he pointed to the wound on his shoulder with his good hand. "This wound's not going to stop bleeding at all. That's why any member of the Zubat line is so dangerous back there. The anti-clotting effect of their saliva doesn't wear off, even after you get out of there."

"Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Spectre asked in a low voice.

"Because if I did, you guys would probably throw away your lives trying to delay my death. Rather me than all four of us."

"You idiot! And you're perfectly fine with throwing away your own life?!" The tone in the Sharp Claw Pokemon's words nearly made Avis jump, but the bolt of lightning that split the sky overhead shortly afterwards, briefly illuminating the surrounding area as it did so, did.

_What perfect timing. _She thought.

The wounded Blade Pokemon, however, didn't even flinch. "Yes. I've been throwing away a bit of my life every single day." He raised his arms, wincing as the movement caused more pain to shoot up his left shoulder. In the darkness caused by the storm, the gems embedded in his green bracelets were glowing with a faint purple light. "The gems in these bracelets here are shards from a Life Orb. It does what it says. Not as powerful as when it was whole, but it gets the job done."

"You really are an idiot." Spectre muttered.

"I don't deserve to live anyway, not after what I did." Omicron turned to the Sneasel that was glaring at him. "I told you that I once was on Dialga's side, but I didn't tell you why I switched sides. I deserted because during the battle for Treasure Town, I killed her."

The anger in Spectre's eyes seemed to fade, replaced by confusion. "Her?"

"My teammate, and the only Pokemon I ever loved." In the rain, it was hard to see whether the liquid flowing down his cheeks was tears or just raindrops. "There's no time to tell you my entire life story, so get across that bridge."

"But-"

"My mind's set on this. Go."

Spectre shot one last glance at the master of swordsmanship, before quickly crossing the bridge. Galive looked away, before flying over to the other side of the ravine.

"Hey."

Avis, who had one foot on the bridge, paused. "Yes?"

"You're hell-bent on stopping Dialga or changing the past, right? Well, go back to where you came from. You might find some info back home."

The Lucario looked down, memories from her past starting to come back to her. Even as she crossed the bridge, she had to fight to keep her emotions, which seemed to match the storm raging all around her, in check.

"Looks like it's just us again." She muttered as she stepped onto solid ground once again. Avis glanced over her shoulder one last time, before the trio disappeared into the forest.

* * *

The Gallade watched as the three Pokemon he barely knew head into the forest.

_Just one last thing._ In one fluid motion, he extended his elbow blades and cut through the ropes holding up the bridge, watching as its remains fell into the ravine.

_They aren't going to be too happy when they get here. Then again, it's none of my business. _Omicron thought as he closed his eyes.

_Spirits of those fallen, guide me in this final endeavor, and guide me along this chosen path. _The eyes of the lone figure standing in the rain slowly opened, filled with determination.

_It's strange how one's thinking can change. _He glanced at the bracelets on his arms.

_In the beginning, I asked you to grant me the strength for me to seek vengeance. Then I asked you to grant me the strength to seek redemption. _

The purple glow intensified, spreading to the Blade Pokemon's elbow blades.

_Now, I'm asking you to grant me strength again, but to protect._

The first of Dialga's minions burst through the bushes.

_And so it begins._

* * *


	16. Redemption’s Rendezvous: Omicron’s Path

_I think it's kind of obvious by now, but there will be death in this chapter. Don't say I didn't warn you beforehand._

**Disclaimer: Pokemon. Does. Not. Belong. To. Me. Period.**

* * *

Chapter 15: **Redemption's Rendezvous: Omicron's Path**

"_Hey, Omicron?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Do you think we'll always be together? The three of us, I mean."_

_The Gallade turned his head to face the Bouquet Pokemon even as he considered what to say. _

"_Well, Raider's always been together. You, me and Astir. And I don't intend to leave anytime soon."_

"_Yeah. Neither do I." The Roserade shifted her position, moving closer to Omicron and resting her head on his shoulder. The Blade Pokemon was glad that it was nighttime, as that meant that the blush on his cheeks would probably go unnoticed by his companion._

_It also made the entire 'sitting under the stars in the moonlight' thing much more unbearable._

* * *

_This is why you never follow the leader._

The first Pokemon to burst through the bushes ran into trouble, literally. In this case, 'trouble' came to them in the form of the Gallade's elbow blades. The Blade Pokemon yanked them out and parried the swings of a pair of Scythers even as the two Pokemon that had been impaled disintegrated.

_My shoulder… it should hurt, shouldn't it?_ Omicron wondered, even as he diagonally stabbed the two mantis-like Pokemon in the side.

_Doesn't matter. It might be due to the Orb, but it doesn't matter in the end. I can still fight, and that's all that matters right now._

An overeager Toxicroak attempted to score a hit, charging towards the wounded knight. The Gallade merely sidestepped, the red claw missing his green and white torso by inches, before kicking the Toxic Mouth Pokemon over the edge into the ravine below.

The storm hadn't subsided one bit, and raindrops continued to hamper the vision of the combatants even as lightning split the sky asunder once again. The rumble of thunder that followed was ignored by all.

_Doesn't Dialga know by now that numerical superiority doesn't equal instant victory? Well, it's its loss, not mine. _Omicron dodged a wild swing by another Scyther, slashing it at torso level even as the Mantis Pokemon passed him. He crossed his elbow blades, catching the horn of a Heracross that had attempted a downward slash in the space where the two green blades met. The Gallade grunted even as the impact shook him to the bone, before landing a straight kick on the blue torso of his opponent and cutting him down with another slash.

Crimson eyes warily scanned the area, seeking the next threat. The lone Gallade sighed, lowering his glowing elbow blades slightly but otherwise not relaxing one bit.

_Just shadows and echoes. It's always the same after a battle. I'm the only one left. Alone._

* * *

"_Let me explain-"_

"_Get the hell away from me! I don't want to see you ever again!"_

_Omicron flinched on hearing the harsh words. He took a step towards the Roserade, before quickly sidestepping as a green vine lashed out at him._

"_Look, no one could have predicted what was going to happen back there! I-"_

"You're_ the team leader! _You're _supposed_ _to look out for us! And Astir died because of _your _stupid actions!" Vera, the only living member of Team Raider other than Omicron, shouted. Up close, shouting had the effect of unnerving the person on the receiving end, and the leader of Team Raider could attest to that. _

"_I'm sorr-" A second Vine Whip clipped the Gallade's cheek, a gesture equal to a slap for a Roserade. The Blade Pokemon tasted blood in his mouth, which wasn't an unfamiliar thing to him. The same could not be said for the pain in his heart, however._

"_Sorry just doesn't cut it! Astir's dead, and nothing's going to change that fact!"_

I know that. And I know I shouldn't be living right now. If that stupid Rhyperior hadn't pushed me out of the way, _I'd_ be the dead one…

"_I hate you! Get lost, Omicron!" _

"_Vera, please-" The Gallade started, staring at the crimson eyes- so similar to his, and yet so different- of the Pokemon he'd secretly been in love with. Even though they were glazed with tears, he could see the anger and hate in them easily enough. _

_The snapping sound made by the Roserade's Vine Whip cut through the air._

"_I said _get lost_!"_

_Without another word, Omicron turned and headed into the woods near Treasure Town, bursting into a run the moment he was out of sight of the town. _

_Only then did he let the tears that he'd been struggling to hold back flow._

* * *

_Astir, I'm so sorry. You'd still be alive if you hadn't saved me back then…_

The bushes ahead rustled again, getting Omicron's full attention even as the sound of footsteps once again reached his ears. He raised his arms again, glancing at the blood dripping down his left shoulder once before ignoring it.

_How long more can I hold out? What's going to kill me first, Dialga's minions or the blood loss? Either way, the end result's the same._

Thunder rumbled ominously overhead, momentarily drowning out the sound of footsteps even as it seemed to warn the Blade Pokemon of his impending doom.

"To think a Gallade would be capable of betrayal."

More Pokemon emerged from the bushes, encircling Omicron. None of them rushed forward to attack, however.

_So much for easy kills. This bunch's smarter than the last, that's for sure. Double Team's not going to work here, as my wound's a giveaway._

"There is no escape, only the path of death left for traitors. Accept your fate." The Gallade eyed the speaker, a Marowak wielding two bone clubs in his hands. Despite the situation, Omicron couldn't help but laugh.

"Something amuses you, traitor?" The Bone Keeper Pokemon snarled.

"Actually, yes. Didn't you figure it out by now, Crainal?" The master of swordsmanship inclined his head towards the spot where the rope bridge had been even as he recalled the Marowak's name from his memories. Omicron grinned, before the gems in his bracelets flared as he sent a crescent wave of pink energy towards the other Pokemon with a swing of his right arm.

"I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

Such a pity…

_The Blade Pokemon's head snapped up instantly, glazed eyes scanning the woods for the source of the voice._

To be abandoned by those close to you…

"_Who are you?!" He shouted to the air._

Isn't there anything you want? _Anything _at all? I can grant it to you…

"_Stop messing around!" Omicron put a period into his sentence by unleashing a Psycho Cut attack that tore through the trunks of several unlucky trees. After the crashing sound made by the trees as they collapsed subsided, the woods soon slipped back into silence._

Do you want more power? The power to do whatever you want?

"_SHUT UP!!"_

Don't you want things to go back to the way they were? You can be with your friends once again…

_That got the Blade Pokemon's attention._

I can give you anything you want. Power, servants, even friends. And all I ask for is that you swear allegiance to me.

_Even though common sense told him to shake his head and just leave, the desire to stay somehow overpowered that to leave._

So, what say you?

"_Yes."_

* * *

The Gallade that once served Dialga winced as a Zangoose's claws grazed his torso. He twisted to the side, stabbing the sworn enemy of any Seviper in the back with one elbow blade even as the other blocked the claw of another Cat Furret Pokemon.

The surviving Zangoose snarled, its claws missing Omicron's chest by centimeters as it attempted another slash. Unfortunately for it, that left the red and white Pokemon off-balance and unable to dodge the retaliatory stab that ended its existence.

_That's the last of them. But where'd- _

The Blade Pokemon leapt to one side, barely avoiding the bone club that whistled through the air at head level. Even as he landed, something heavy slammed into his back, causing him to double over in pain

_Damn… How could I forget he had _two_?_

Omicron rolled aside, dodging the first close-range strike of the Marowak's bone club as the weapon hit the ground where he had been a moment ago. The second club landed in the Bone Keeper Pokemon's palm even as he readjusted his grip on the first.

"Just die already!" Crainal charged, swinging one club high and the other low. The impact of bone on bone weapon shook the Gallade's hands, even as renewed pain shot up his left shoulder.

_Okay. Let's see, I've got two elbow blades, one not at hundred. He's got two clubs, and he hasn't fought non-stop for the past Arceus-knows-how-long. Should be a fair fight._

Rather than try to push back, Omicron snapped a quick kick at his opponent, pushing the Ground-Type back a couple of paces as his foot impacted on Crainal's torso.

"You want me dead?" The master of swordsmanship asked, closing the distance between the two. The ground had become quite muddy due to the rain, making the footprints of the Gallade as easy to see as the blood that dripped down his shoulder. "Then you'll have to kill me yourself."

Overhead, lightning flashed and thunder roared. The downpour seemed to make everything look as though one was looking at the surface of a body of water, playing tricks on the two combatants' vision as they clashed in a fight to the death.

* * *

"_Vera…" _

Arceus, what have I _done_? _Omicron thought, staring at his former teammate in shock. The haze that had clouded his mind was slowly clearing, and he became aware of the blood on his blades._

_Vera's blood._

_The Roserade grimaced in pain, one hand pressed to the wound in her side in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Despite her efforts, blood still continued to drip down her side, turning the grass near the tree whose base she had her back to from green to red._

"_I never thought…I'd see… you again…" She said softly._

_The Gallade staggered forward, before falling to his knees in front of the mortally-wounded Grass-Type._

"_I'm so sorry…" Omicron whispered, even as tears trickled down his cheeks. "For everything…" _

You probably hate me even more now… _He thought._

"_I don't… hold anything against you…"_

"_You don't?" The Blade Pokemon's head snapped up, looking the Bouquet Pokemon in the eye. "But after everything I did… Arceus, _I _inflicted that wound on you!"_

"_I could never… bring myself to hate you… no matter how hard… I tried." The edges of Vera's vision were starting to blur, but she forced herself to focus. She had one last thing to tell him, and she refused to let herself die before she did._

"_Even after everything, I-" _

"_Please, please don't talk anymore! You need to save your strength!"_

"_What's the point? I'm going to die anyway…"_

"_Don't say that! Don't you dare die on me! I love you, even though you don't deserve someone like me! But please, just don't die!"_

_Vera sighed and reached out with her free hand, managing to stroke the Gallade's tear-stained cheek. _

"_Don't blame… yourself. My affections… and my love… for you… have never… wavered…"_

_Omicron clasped the Roserade's hand in his own, sensing that she was almost gone._

"_No… stay with me, please!"_

_Vera managed a faint smile._

"_And… they… never… will…"_

_The Roserade's eyes closed as she breathed her last._

* * *

"It really is a shame that you betrayed Lord Dialga. Tell me, why'd you do it?"

Omicron snorted, wiping away a bit of his blood that had splattered onto his face.

"You wouldn't understand."

"I don't _need _to understand." The Marowak snarled, swinging one bone club. The Gallade grunted as he parried it with his right elbow blade, before leaping back as the other club came swinging around from the left. Omicron landed on the muddy ground and sidestepped the bone club that the Bone Keeper Pokemon thrust forward, before bending his body to the right as the second one grazed his torso. Raising his left hand, the Gallade stabbed downwards, not at Crainal's arm but at the bone club, hitting it with such force that the green blade pierced through the dense material of the heavy weapon. A thrust from the other elbow blade forced the Marowak to drop the club even as the master of swordsmanship pulled his left elbow blade free and kicked the dropped weapon over the edge of the ravine, effectively removing it from the battle.

"That was my best club."

"Go ask Dialga for compensation." The Gallade snapped in reply. In response, Crainal hurled his remaining bone club at him, forcing Omicron to leap forward and over it to avoid getting hit. Even as the Blade Pokemon noticed he was within punching distance of the Marowak, he felt the hammer-blow like impact of a punch to his stomach.

"No, it's you who will pay the price!" The Bone Keeper Pokemon swung his right fist, hitting his target again before sweeping out Omicron's legs from beneath him. The Gallade landed heavily in the mud, but still had enough wits about him to twist his head to the left, avoiding the fist that slammed into the mud where his face had been a moment earlier. He lashed out blindly, hitting Crainal with the flat end of his left elbow blade slightly underneath the right eye, which seemed to enrage the Marowak more than hurt him. The Ground-Type grabbed the injured hand of the Gallade, before throwing his heavier opponent over his shoulder, lifting him from the ground before slamming him back into it.

Omicron grunted as more pain coursed through him, although that did not prevent him from swinging his free elbow blade at an angle nearly parallel to the ground. The green blade hit the back of Crainal's left thigh, drawing blood and causing him to release the Blade Pokemon's left hand even as the Marowak fell to one knee. Free from the Bone Keeper Pokemon's grip, the only living member of Team Raider rolled to his feet, hastily sending a Psycho Cut attack towards his opponent with an upward slash.

That attack would have ended the battle right there and then, but luck had other ideas in mind. Even as the pink wave of energy continued on its course, it intercepted the returning bone club that Crainal had earlier thrown. The heavy weapon dissipated the Psycho Cut attack before breaking into two halves, with one of those parts shattering into a dozen or so fragments on impact with the ground.

"Don't even think for a moment that you've gotten the upper hand." The Bone Keeper Pokemon picked up the largest piece of his shattered weapon, rising unsteadily to his feet due to his leg injury. Omicron, meanwhile, fought to clear his blurring vision and the dizziness that had washed over him a moment after his Psycho Cut attack.

_That attack must have taken more than I thought. I don't have much time left…_

"Now, this ends." The Marowak declared. He took one step forward, then another, before charging at the battle-weary Gallade. Even though the club was less than half of its original length, it now had a sharpness that gave it a lethal edge that it did not have prior.

_I can't risk another Psycho Cut. It might burn me out… _The Blade Pokemon dodged a stab by his opponent, before dealing a horizontal slash with his right elbow blade at chest level. Even as the Marowak stepped back and attempted another stab, the master of swordsmanship halted the blade mid-swing, thrusting it forward straight into Crainal's chest.

A surprised look crossed the Bone Keeper Pokemon's face as the blade found its mark, even as his own bone club made contact with the Gallade's left thigh. Omicron bit his lip to prevent himself from screaming in pain.

"It ends." The Blade Pokemon growled, fighting back the pain. "For you."

A faint smile crossed the Marowak's lips, along with a trickle of blood. "And _you_."

The next second, the mortally-wounded and worn out Gallade sank to his knees. He winced in pain as he pulled the jagged edge of the club free from his leg, before tossing it to the dirt next to the pile of sand.

_It's over… And as always, I'm the only one left. _

The Blade Pokemon's vision began to blur. Glancing at his blood-soaked and mud-covered hands, Omicron thought he saw them fading out of existence, but it could also have been a trick of his fading vision.

_Is this what happens when a user of a Life Orb dies? I probably deserve this anyway. After all the lives I've taken, all the destruction I've caused, there's nothing left for me._

The Gallade sighed, glancing up at the grey sky. Raindrops pelted his face and made his eyes sting, but he ignored it.

_So tell me, spirits, where will I go now?_

* * *

The downpour that had rained down upon the battlefield slowly stopped, and soon the only water that dropped to the ground was those from the leaves of nearby trees.

Bit by bit, the overcast sky cleared, and the sun's rays once again were able to shine down upon the world for as long as day lasted. The falling droplets of water refracted the light, creating miniature rainbows of sorts within themselves before they hit the dirt.

And, in the middle of the battlefield, the sun's rays shone down upon a pair of green bracelets, each with a purple gem embedded in them.

* * *

_I hope I did okay for this, since it's my first time writing a death scene. Anyway, I won't be updating for a while due to exams._


	17. Darkness of Dawn

**Disclaimer: Pokemon? It isn't mine.**

* * *

Chapter 16: **Darkness of Dawn**

_Avis' POV_

_Finally, the rain's stopping._

I glanced up at the sky, watching the clouds part through the gaps in the jungle canopy. Even though the sun's rays weren't able to completely penetrate the dense layers of leaves overhead, it felt good to see some light again, and not being bothered by falling droplets of water landing on my head every few steps was another perk of the change in weather.

After what seemed like several weeks of non-stop running (when in reality it had only been close to a day, give or take a few hours), my legs felt as heavy as that Marowak's bone club, and my body being all worn out from all the fighting and running wasn't helping either. The way back home so far was devoid of any of Dialga's minions, though, which was a relief since I doubted that all three of us would be able to fight effectively in our current state.

_My home… I don't know if I made the right choice in telling Spectre and Galive that we should go back there._

I sighed. Ever since that Gallade told me to go back to my home, old memories kept flooding into my mind. Although I could stop myself from thinking about it for a while, it always kept coming back, like the ebb and flow of the ocean tide.

_I wasn't strong enough to protect them all… My friends, my family, everyone…_

I slammed my fist into the bark of a small tree in frustration, causing cracks to appear in the bark.

_Crap. _I winced, even as pain shot up my paw. _What's happening to me? I shouldn't be losing control like this…_

"Hey, it's time to get moving-" The bushes to my left rustled slightly, before the familiar black figure of Spectre emerged from them. He raised an eyebrow as he noticed the cracks in the bark of the tree.

"Are you alright?"

"Just fine." I muttered, removing my fist from the tree bark and checking it for any injuries. There were bruises, as expected, but it didn't feel as though any of my bones were broken.

"I don't think so." The Sneasel shook his head, before pointing to my left eye with the two claws on his right paw. "You've been crying."

"What?" Almost nervously, I wiped the back of my paw across my left eye, carefully avoiding scratching myself with the spike in the middle. The sun–as unpredictable as ever–had just gone down, but visibility was still relatively decent.

_He's probably just seeing things. It probably was just a trick of the light._

"What's taking you so long, Spectre?" I heard Galive ask, but I was too focused on the barely-visible dark patches that indicated the presence of moisture. It could have been sweat, but staring at my reflection in my arm spike–which wasn't the best of mirrors–made me think otherwise.

"Nothing." The Sharp Claw Pokemon replied. He seemed to think over something for a while, before suggesting something. "Hey, I think we should rest here for the night. Avis doesn't seem to be in any condition to travel-"

"I'm fine." I interjected, mildly annoyed. _I'm not as weak as you think I am. _"There's no need to stop just yet."

"Well, you don't look fine. And you're edgier than usual." The Sneasel responded. Up in the branches above, Galive transferred his stick from his wing to his feet before making his way down from the branch he'd perched on earlier.

"For the last time, Spectre," I snapped, finally losing my patience. Even as I continued, I slammed my fist into the nearest available object for emphasis. "I. Am. Fine."

_Crack._

Three pairs of eyes immediately focused on the source of the sound: the small tree next to me. A few moments later, it toppled–seemingly in slow motion– to the ground, splinters of wood from its bark trailing it in its wake.

"Well," Galive said, picking up his stick with his right wing. "That saves us the trouble of looking for firewood."

I growled, resisting the urge to kick Spectre in the jaw. _This sucks._

* * *

_Spectre's POV_

I winced as something hard and blunt poked me in the ribs.

"What the hell was that for?" I hissed, turning away from the small fire to face Galive. The Farfetch'd used his stick to point at Avis, who was sitting on the ground with her back to a tree several meters away from the fire.

"Don't you think she's acting weird?"

"I noticed." I shrugged, even though I was intensely curious as to why the Aura Pokemon was behaving that way. "It's not my problem, though."

"She didn't even take the Oran Berry I offered her." Galive remarked, pointing to an Oran Berry beside him even as he tossed his own berry into his beak, chewed it and swallowed.

_That's stupid. _I thought to myself, staring at my own Oran Berry in my paw. _Sure, the taste sometimes sucks, but you need all the strength you can get. And there's no way in hell I'll let you die on me-_

"I got it!" The Wild Duck Pokemon exclaimed, shacking me out of my thoughts. He picked up the Oran Berry on the ground and pressed it into my hand.

"What? I don't need two."

"No, you don't. Because you're going to give that berry to her."

If I was an Arbok, my jaw would be on the ground. "You're joking, right?"

Galive didn't reply, but his serious expression told me otherwise.

"Look, I don't know if you've been whacking yourself too many times with that stick of yours, but that doesn't make the slightest bit of sense! She barely accepts help from anyone, if you haven't noticed."

The Farfetch'd nodded. "I noticed. And yes, it doesn't make sense. But how your girlfriend's acting right now doesn't make sense either. So, solutions that normally don't make sense might do the trick."

"She's not-"

"If you do, I'll stop calling her your girlfriend, and you her boyfriend." Galive interrupted.

I sighed, weighing my options. _He's going to pester me to no end if I say no. Might as well get something out of it whilst doing it._

In reality, there was only one choice I could make._ This is suicide. I'm probably going to get a kick in the jaw or something from her as a 'thank you' present…_

"Fine. Make sure you keep your end of the deal."

"Don't worry. I will." Galive inclined with his head to where Avis was sitting. "You don't have all night, you know."

_Why do I feel like I've overlooked something?_ I got to my feet and started walking, muttering how stupid I was under my breath to be willingly heading to my doom.

_Pull yourself together, Spectre. You've faced a dual-wielding Marowak, a shiny Drapion whose words don't make sense whatsoever and a trigger-happy Magmortar._

I paused in mid-step, wondering what happened to Vulcan for a moment. I hadn't seen him ever since I went to rescue Avis and Galive, so I could only speculate on his fate as I continued grandly marching towards my most-likely painful death.

_Surely a depressed Lucario that would happily Force Palm you in the midsection won't be a problem… _

Even though it probably took less than two minutes to reach the spot where the Lucario was sitting, it felt like a couple of hours since I had first started walking. It was a cool night, which was why we'd built the fire–large enough to keep us warm, yet small enough to not be easily seen from afar–in the first place, but I could feel drops of sweat trickle down my back.

_Just hand her the darned Berry and leave. You'll live to see another day. _

I glanced down at the Oran Berry that Avis had refused to take from Galive earlier. The blue berry stood out against my black paw, which I soon realized was trembling slightly.

_Let's get this over and done with. _I took a deep breath to calm myself.

"How long are you going to stand there?"

I bit back an exclamation of surprise. "You knew I was here?"

"The Aura can be used in more ways than one by us Lucarios. It's not just for throwing Aura Spheres left and right, you know." Avis sounded like she was repeating something from her memory. I ignored that statement, choosing instead to continue walking until I was right next to the blue jackal-like Pokemon.

"Take this." I told her, holding out my paw with the Oran Berry Galive had given me. Avis turned to look at me, before her gaze shifted to the berry in my paw.

_Just take the Berry and we can all live to see another day…_

"I'm not hungry." She replied, turning away. I sighed. Galive would probably renege on his side of the deal if I told him that Avis refused to take the berry.

"You need to eat something even if you're not hungry." I tried again. "You need to keep your strength up."

The Aura Pokemon turned her head to face me once more. Before she could respond, most likely with a lecture on how long Lucarios could last without food thanks to some special training methods of theirs, I sat down on the grass beside her.

"One more thing, I'm not going anywhere until you eat something."

Avis growled, and I half-expected her to hurl an Aura Sphere at my face right there and then. Fortunately, the only thing she did was swipe the Oran Berry I was supposed to give her from me and look away.

"So," I started, my own curiosity getting the better of me, "what have you been doing here?"

"Thinking." The Lucario replied, even as she took a bite out of her Oran Berry. Her eyes were focused not on me, but on an indeterminate point in the night sky.

"Oh." I turned my gaze away from her. "About what? Your home?"

"That, and more." The jackal-like Pokemon's voice was unusually soft, and I couldn't help but think that she was vulnerable, despite her claims to the contrary. "You know, this world of ours wasn't always like this."

"Yeah. This world has seen happier times, that's for sure." I commented, taking my own advice and consuming my own Oran Berry.

"I think I might know why that Gallade wanted us to go back to my home." Avis spoke. "I once heard that a Lucario who lived there had a book that had information on the Legendaries, although there's no guarantee that it's there, or even still readable at all."

_The Legendaries. They should be the ones dealing with this, especially since one of their own started this whole mess._

"We could probably figure out how to take down Dialga with that, or at least how to weaken it." I swallowed the Oran Berry, ignoring the slightly bitter aftertaste that I had come to associate with it, since the vast majority of Oran Berries I had eaten were unripe ones.

"I don't really want to go back home, though." The Lucario admitted after a while.

"Why?" I asked, turning to look at her. "Is it that hard to find?"

"No. Not to me, at least." Avis replied. Her gaze, which appeared sorrowful to me, shifted to the ground in front of her. "I'm scared of what I _will_ find."

I looked away, not knowing what to say in reply. Rather than say anything that might potentially cost me my life, I chose to leave the Lucario alone. Wordlessly, I got to my feet and turned around, intending to walk back to where the fire was still burning.

However, the moment I took the first step, something warm and furry wrapped itself around my right wrist, stopping me cold. It didn't feel uncomfortable and although it didn't feel unfamiliar, I had to look at it to ascertain what it was.

"Hey, Spectre." Avis said as our crimson eyes locked. "Thanks for the berry."

I gulped, suddenly feeling more nervous than before. "No problem."

A moment of awkward silence passed, before Avis released her grip on my wrist and turned away. I shifted my gaze back to the fire and continued walking towards it, trying to make some sense of the events that had just occurred a few minutes ago.

"So, how did it go?" Galive asked as I reached the fire and sat down beside him.

"She took the berry."

"I knew you could get through to your girlfriend." The Farfetch'd smirked.

_I knew this would happen. _"We had a deal, Galive." I snapped, trying to keep my anger under control.

"Yep. I didn't call you her boyfriend, nor did I call her your girlfriend for the entire duration of time you spent with her. So I _did _uphold my end of the deal, just not in the way you expected me to." The Wild Duck Pokemon's beak stretched into a smile as he spoke.

I took a deep breath and exhaled, before lying down and crossing my paws behind my head. "I hate you."

"Goodnight!" Galive replied in response to my statement. I sighed, before closing my eyes and trying to get some sleep.

Yet, for some reason, I knew that the events that occurred during the time I spent with Avis that night would keep popping into my mind.


	18. Interlude: Shadow of Intent

_This is the last time I'm putting a disclaimer, since I've already placed closed to twenty in this fic. Just a quick note, this chapter isn't related to the previous one, but is still related to the storyline._

**Disclaimer: For the last time, figuratively and literally, I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Interlude:** Shadow of Intent**

The forest was silent, except for the occasional rustling of leaves and branches. A dark figure sat beneath a large tree, his head tilted to one side and his eyes closed as he listened to the new orders he was receiving.

_So, that Marowak Crainal failed?_

_Regrettably, he is no longer with us._ A pause. _I suppose I do not need to remind you the consequences of failure?_

_Fret not. I'll get the job done, and finish the other one I started years ago. _The figure terminated the mental link with a shake of his head, already mentally planning the shortest possible route to take to reach his quarry.

"So, heh-heh, where to next?"

"Gather your band of six. We're deploying." The Darkness Pokemon grinned as he tossed a salute in an-almost mocking fashion to the other figure who, other than glance at him once with his unnaturally black eyes, didn't respond.

"Right away." With a slight chuckle and a glint in his gemstone-like eyes, the Sableye seemingly disappeared into the shadows, his purple body blending in almost perfectly with the shadows of the jungle. Left alone for the moment, the biped jackal-like Pokemon made a final adjustment to the mental route, before walking into the open from under the tree.

_Once again our paths shall cross, Avis. And this time, you won't be so lucky to escape. _The faint moonlight didn't provide much illumination, but the figure had no problems seeing at all. He knelt and examined a flower in the grass, noting that it only had a single petal left whilst idly pushing its stem back and forth with a paw.

The figure grinned, anticipation building in him. He always enjoyed a good fight, but the recent assignments of him hunting down a rogue group of Skorupis and Drapions were boring to him. Not only were they individually weak, they also had the tendency to burrow away when they were spotted, thus ruining any opportunities for a decent battle.

_You can run, but I'll catch up to you. You can hide, but I'll find you. And when we fight, I'll kill you. _

"Everyone's ready, heh-heh. Just say the word."

The figure glanced over his shoulder as he gave the flower one last flick, his black eyes locked onto the silver gem-like eyes of the lead Sableye. Even though he was the only one in sight, the jackal-like Pokemon could feel the presence of the other five, as well as how they felt at that very moment. He sensed one's boredom, another's curiosity and a third's apprehension, but all six radiated impatience more strongly than any other emotion.

_Emotions change. Pokemon change. Everything changes, but there's one thing that remains absolute in this ever-changing world. _

"Let's not keep our targets waiting."

Even as the group of Pokemon left the area, the flower the jackal-like Pokemon had been toying with earlier to pass the time shed its final petal. Silently, the petal drifted to the ground, landing gently amongst the fallen leaves and blades of grass.

_Death._


	19. Homecoming

_Four words, lack of free time. Sorry!_

_There's no author's note for now, so on with the story. Disclaimers are in the previous 18 chapters._

* * *

Chapter 17: **Homecoming**

"So, this was your home?"

"_Is_, you idiot. Nothing's going to change that." With a low growl, Avis brushed past the Sneasel and continued walking down the crudely-cut path, looking as though she would gladly shove an Aura Sphere down his throat.

"What's up with her?" Spectre whispered to Galive, not wanting to attract the attention of the Lucario. He had a feeling that she would have happily snapped his neck right there and then.

"She's on edge. I would be too, if I ever saw my home like this." Galive shrugged, before following Avis. "Can't believe what happened here…"

The Sneasel glanced left and right, taking in the mountainous surroundings briefly. If not for the caves carved into the giant rock spires that rose up from the ground and the many paths that linked the higher ones together, he would not have guessed that anyone was living here before, much less an entire town or city. Unfortunately, many of the paths were either destroyed or badly damaged, and only a handful appeared to be relatively intact. That, along with the many burn marks and scratches that the rocks bore, led him to believe that a massive battle had taken place here, one that the inhabitants of this place most likely lost.

_An entire city wiped out… _

"Are you coming? Avis wants to get this over and done with fast." Galive called, shaking Spectre out of his own thoughts. Spectre was about to start walking when something at the corner of his eye caught his attention.

"One moment." He called, turning to look at a series of rocks whose shadows seemed to be moving. The Sneasel blinked, and the shadows resumed their 'normal' appearance, or as normal as shadows could be.

_Strange. Why do I get the feeling that we're not alone?_

"Hurry up. I don't want to spend more time than necessary here." Avis growled, clenching and unclenching her fists.

"Right." Spectre turned and began walking towards her and Galive, although he couldn't help but glance over his shoulder at the rocks again as he did so.

* * *

"You idiot! You nearly gave our position away!"

"Hey, I can't help it if my foe has-"

"Cut the chatter, you two. Otherwise, heh-heh, I don't really need to say what's going to happen, right?"

Another Pokemon behind a third Sableye sighed, before speaking with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Keep your fellows in line, would you?"

"Sure, heh-heh, boss. You heard him." The lead Sableye grinned at his two subordinates. The two Sableye gulped as several different variations of the definition of the phrase 'painful death' ran through their minds, each more graphic and bloody than the last, before nervously returning to silently following their target.

* * *

"Hey, guys? I'm not seeing things now… right?" Galive stepped back a few paces, trying not to trip over his feet or drop his stick at the same time.

"Just stay calm. No sudden movements, and make sure you don't come into contact with it." Avis held her arm out to prevent the other two Pokemon from moving into the cavern in front of them. "I thought they were just folktales, told to scare young Riolu senseless…"

"It looks real enough to me." Spectre remarked, shifting from one foot to another uneasily. The Sneasel extended the claws on his right hand, before deciding not to do anything stupid and retracted them.

Three pairs of eyes watched as a Lucario picked up a strange-looking stone and dusted it off, before placing it into a crevice in the wall. That would have been normal, except for the fact that this Lucario was translucent, and that it vanished a few moments after placing the stone in its place, only to reappear again and repeat the same action over and over.

"Avis?" The Wild Duck Pokemon's voice had dropped to a nervous whisper.

"Yeah?"

"Do you min- GAH!" The Farfetch'd screamed as a couple of loose pebbles dropped onto his head. He threw up his wings to protect his head, accidentally sending his stick flying past the Lucario's hand into the cavern, where it embedded itself in the far wall like a javelin. "Above us! I'm too young to die!"

Spectre glanced up, but only solid rock greeted his eyes. "What's the matter with you? There's nothing there. It's probably just the wind."

Avis sighed, lowering her arm. "Galive has the tendency to panic easily. Makes me wonder how he made it through Treasure Town's ruins alone."

Galive slowly lowered his wings, his gaze nervously darting from crevice to cave before finally resting on his stick, still stuck in the far wall of the cavern. "Great. Now we have to go in there and get my stick back."

"Don't you mean, _you _have to go in there to get _your_ stick back?" Spectre asked.

"I'm not going in there alone, especially with that ghost or spirit lurking around." The Farfetch'd replied.

"It's an Aura-ghost. They're supposed to be spirits of dead Lucarios stuck performing a certain action over and over, or at least those are the tales that I've heard." Avis paused for a moment, staring at the ghostly Lucario, almost as though she recognized it. "Just don't come into physical contact with them or try to interrupt their actions and you'll be fine."

"You sure?" Spectre asked.

"I'm _mostly _sur- Hey, don't do anything stupid!" Avis snapped as Galive began heading for his stick.

"Don't worry. I'm keeping my distance." The Farfetch'd replied, although his voice had a hint of nervousness in it. "Just gotta act like it's not there…"

"Man, why didn't he think about the consequences before going in? Does that stick of his mean more to him than his life?" The Lucario muttered to herself.

"Reminds me of _someone_ I know." Spectre commented. Avis made a 'tch' sound, before sighing.

"He reminds me of a few Lucarios I used to know. And you remind me of a few others." The jackal-like Pokemon said sadly, even as the Sneasel mentally kicked himself for being an idiot and unintentionally bringing up Avis' past. Fortunately, the Wild Duck Pokemon in the cavern saved him from having to come up with any replies.

"Avis, you mind helping me with this?" Galive gestured with one wing to his stick. "I can't pull it out!"

"Right." The Lucario walked over to the weapon that the Farfetch'd wielded. She gripped it in one paw and gave it a firm tug, dislodging it as well as something else from the cavern wall, along with some rock chips that started a minor 'rock-a-lanche' as they made their way down to the cave floor with gravity as their guide.

"There you go." Avis tossed the stick to Galive before crouching to examine the other item that had fallen out of the wall. "Well, look what we have here."

"What'd you find?" Galive asked, looking more comfortable now that he had his stick in his wing again. "If it's nothing important, let's just get out of here. That ghost's giving me the creeps."

"It's nothing important, to me at least." The Lucario replied, before glancing over her shoulder at the translucent Lucario. It seemed oblivious to the duo's presence, continuing with its actions like a clockwork robot whose key continued to turn itself. Certain that it would not bother with her, the jackal-like Pokemon picked up the object, which turned out to be a cresent-shaped piece of rock in the vaguely resembling a claw. Someone—probably the ghostly Lucario—had threaded a string through it such that it could be worn like a necklace, and despite the months or even years that it had spent in the rock wall, the item still had a slight sheen to it even though it was in dire need of polishing.

"This here," Avis continued, "is a Razor Claw. It'll allow Spectre to evolve at night, if he wishes it." She hung the evolution-inducing item around her neck, before hastily moving out of the cavern along with the Farfetch'd.

"So that small little piece of rock will let me evolve?" The Sneasel asked, having heard every word that Avis had said. Even though his face didn't give away his thoughts, it wasn't too hard to see the inner conflict reflected in his eyes.

Avis nodded, before the Lucario's expression softened slightly. For just a moment, she seemed to be someone else other than the Lucario that he knew. "I know it's a tough choice. I've been down that path before."

Spectre said nothing, caught up in his own thoughts about evolution. A heartbeat later, the Aura Pokemon's visage hardened again.

"Let's just find that book and get the hell out of here. This way."

* * *

Five pairs of diamond-like eyes glared at a Sableye.

"You're lucky they didn't bother to investigate further." One of them hissed. The lead Sableye made a short, sharp cutting gesture across his throat, the signal for silence.

"One more screw-up, Onyx, and you'd better start thinking about the dimensions of your grave, heh-heh."

The Sableye to whom the words were directed to nodded uneasily. He glanced at the figure behind the lead Sableye. "I've got a question. How did you know that they were here?"

Another Sableye, this one with a pair of scars across his right shoulder, growled and started to say something harsh before the figure signaled for him to keep his words to himself.

"They'll be looking for something. And that Lucario knows it's here."

Onyx nodded, even though the answer didn't make sense to him. "And how do you intend to get to whatever they're looking for first?"

The figure snorted once, before holding up a dog-eared book and replying in a almost-casual tone. "I have what they're looking for."

* * *

_You've got to be kidding me._

Spectre stared at the new cavern that the trio had just entered. "This is it?"

Avis waited for the echo of his voice to die down before replying. "Yes. Unlike Pokemon, books don't just get up and walk away."

"They decay." The Sneasel remarked, although he had already started scanning the large cavern for any signs of books.

_Rock walls, check. Rock paths and stairways, check. Multiple entrances, check… _

"Hey, Galive, do you see any books at all? Or any pieces of paper?"

"Nothing." The Farfetch'd called. He had made good use of his ability to fly to check some of the higher levels of the cavern. "Lots of dust, rocks and empty space, but no paper or books. Any luck down there, Spectre?"

The Sharp Claw Pokemon shook his head, before remembering that Galive probably couldn't see the gesture. "Nothing."

"It's got to be around here somewhere." Avis muttered defensively, even though neither of her two companions had said anything to dispute her claim of the book's location. The Lucario began peering into several book-sized grooves in the wall, each one looking as though they had been carved down to the millimeters. "This place used to belong to a Lucario who had an obsession with books. If that book's anywhere, it's in here somewhere."

"Well, it's not in the upper levels." Galive landed softly on the ground beside Spectre and transferred his stick from his beak to his right wing. "I combed through them three times, and got nothing-" The Wild Duck Pokemon sneezed once. "-except a lot of dust."

Spectre shook his head, checking the last of the grooves he had spotted. "Nothing down here as well. Perhaps it's somewhere in the middle section of this cavern?"

Avis moved to the nearest rock staircase, before an overwhelming feeling of dread engulfed her. She shuddered, even as the feeling slowly faded away. "I don't know why, but I've got a very bad feeling…"

"Are you okay?" The Sneasel asked, starting to move towards her, but the Lucario waved his concerns aside.

"I'm fine. Although I get the feeling that something terrible is going to happen…" Avis shuddered again.

* * *

"Is everyone in position?"

"Ready, heh-heh." The lead Sableye grinned. "We'll strike like Beedrills, heh-heh."

"I'm going in first. Don't engage until I give you the signal. And leave that Lucario alone, I'm dealing with her personally."

The six Sableyes shot each other looks, before shrugging.

"All yours."

"Be my guest."

The figure got to his feet, feeling his pulse quicken in anticipation of the coming fight. "I've waited a long time for this…"

* * *

"Something's coming." Avis muttered, her eyes closed. Galive and Spectre exchanged confused looks.

"What is it? You're the one with the Aura, after all." The Sneasel asked.

"I… don't know." The Lucario replied, opening her eyes. "There's this darkness that's enveloped the Aura. I can't see anything through it."

Galive started to say something, before the _tmp-tmp _sound of footsteps caught his attention. "Did you hear that?"

"I've found you at last, Avis!" The Lucario's blood ran cold as she heard a familiar voice.

"Avis, who the hell is he?" Spectre hissed, unconsciously extending his claws and glaring at the other Lucario that he didn't recognize.

The second Aura Pokemon grinned savagely, looking down at the trio from his vantage point—a rock pathway higher than the one they were standing on. He held a tattered book in one hand and tossed it up and down, even as he sat down on the pathway and casually swung his legs over the edge.

"You're looking for this, aren't you?" The other Lucario asked, his unusual black eyes fixed on Avis' crimson ones. "Well, I got to it first. And I knew it'd bring you to me."

"He doesn't look friendly." Galive remarked, his grip on his stick tightening.

"He's no friend of mine." Avis growled, clenching her fists as her anger started to build.

"Temper, temper. Didn't your elders teach you to always maintain a clear mind? Anger clouds one's vision, dulls one's focus-"

"Shut up!" The Farfetch'd and the Sneasel nearly jumped in fright. Avis slammed her paws together and gripped her bone club as it materialized in her grasp. "You're going to pay for what you did!"

"I'd love to, but unfortunately, I don't have any spare change on me right now." The other Lucario shrugged, seemingly unfazed by Avis' display of anger.

"Avis, for the last time, who the hell is he?" Spectre asked again, a hint of urgency and uncertainty in his voice.

"Garo. The one that caused all this." The Sneasel's female companion responded. Before either Spectre or Galive could stop her, she took two steps forward and leapt, landing softly on her feet on the same pathway as the other Lucario. Without missing a step, Avis swiftly closed the distance between herself and her target and swung her club in a vicious downward swing that would have crushed his skull in.

Or rather, should have crushed his skull in. Even as the club descended, Garo reached up almost casually and caught the club in one paw, before pushing his free palm forward into Avis' midsection and catching her off-guard with a point-blank Aura Sphere.

"_Avis_!" Spectre bit back a curse even as the Aura Pokemon he knew went flying across the cavern and slammed into the rock wall on the other end. The Lucario with the black eyes got to his feet, but his eyes still remained focused on Avis.

"I don't have time to tango with you two, unfortunately. But these guys have." He made a quick hand signal, and six Sableyes in two groups of three landed in front of Galive and Spectre as though they had leapt from a considerable height. The two Pokemon soon found themselves back-to-back, surrounded by a circle of dark purple bodies and gemstone-like eyes.

"Any ideas?" Spectre whispered.

"Yeah. Not getting killed would be a good start." The Farfetch'd responded.

* * *

Avis shook her head to clear the black spots that had appeared across her vision. Swearing, the Lucario got to her feet, her right paw still gripping her bone club. Her chest throbbed where the Aura Sphere had hit, but she gritted her teeth and pushed the pain aside.

On the other end of the pathway, Garo grinned. The shadows around his paws seemed to come to life as they glowed purple, before wrapping themselves around the black-eyed Lucario's paws in the form of vicious-looking claws.

"Now, let's dance. The dance of death."


	20. On A Razor's Edge

_Sorry for the extremely long update time. Major exams (that just ended) had priority over writing for me._

_Special thanks to Silence Divine for massive amounts of help, including the chapter title._

* * *

Chapter 18: **On a Razor's Edge**

"Now, let's dance. The dance of death."

Avis growled through her teeth, shifting her grip on her bone club as she kept her eyes on the other Lucario.

_I still haven't forgotten those black eyes. Garo… you caused all this. You killed–_

"What's the matter? Scared of the dark?" The dark-eyed Lucario taunted. Even though the purple claws looked insubstantial, Avis knew that they could tear through flesh and even stone without much trouble.

_And unlike Metal Claw, Shadow Claw isn't formed from the user's arm spikes, which eliminates the pain that comes from repeated strikes… _

"You wish." She snapped, assuming a more defensive stance as she shrugged off the taunt that he threw at her.

Garo smirked, noticing her swap in posture. "Going on the defensive? Don't be silly." He raised his left paw and made a quick 'come-here' gesture with it, the shadowy claw moving in perfect synchronization with his gestures. "Why don't you show me how much you've improved over the years? If you've even _improved_ at all, that is."

The female Aura Pokemon gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes, subconsciously gripping her club tighter as she tried to keep her temper in check.

_I know your mind games well, Garo. They're not going to work on me ever again-_

"Or is it because you're afraid?"

"What?" A look of surprise flickered across Avis' face at the unexpected development in the conversation. For once, the Lucario found herself lost for words.

"That's probably it, isn't it? You're scared of facing me one-on-one." Garo sighed and turned away from his intended target, his face becoming partly cloaked by the shadows of the room. A shout echoed upwards from somewhere beneath the two Lucarios, eliciting a grin from the male Aura Pokemon.

"About time they started." He remarked. "Your friends are fighting for their lives right now. Why not do the same?"

"Don't tell me what to do." Avis snapped, keeping the other Lucario in her line of sight.

Her eyes strained as she struggled to pierce the veil created by the shadows and the lack of proper lighting, which blurred the outlines of everything and made it difficult to make out Garo's position. Despite that, she could still see him smirk.

"So, how's everyone that you ever cared about doing? I hope they're doing fine... Oh, wait, my mistake. I do believe they've been slain by yours truly." the dark-eyed Lucario bowed, an air of mocking superiority surrounding him. "It was so fun watching them writhe in agony, especially Aris."

Like floodgates finally bursting from pressure, Avis' emotions finally overrode her common sense. The hate-filled cry that ripped itself from her throat made everyone in the cave pause, except for Garo who simply grinned, unfazed at the sight of an enraged Lucario charging straight at him.

"Took you long enough."

The club whistled though the air as Avis swung it at Garo's head, hatred lending her speed and power. The dark-eyed Lucario twisted to the side as the strike decimated the rock wall behind him, before ducking down as the incensed Lucario swung her weapon back in the opposite direction of the initial swing.

"I wonder how Aris learned to aim, given _your_ guidance."

Avis roared again, fury dictating her actions, and brought the club down with all her strength.

_Clunk._

For a moment, the two Lucarios locked gazes as the bone club strained against the shadowy claws. Avis' eyes burned with hatred, Garo's very features seemingly mocking her with every passing second.

"Still as pathetic as usual."

With one swift motion, the dark-eyed Aura Pokemon shifted his claws down, dragging the bone club with them as well. His right hand slipped free of the club, pinning the weapon down against the top of his left claw for a second, before swinging upward and catching Avis under the chin. The female Lucario staggered back, disorientated by the blow, and was unable to defend herself properly as Garo savagely backhanded her.

Black stars exploded across Avis' vision as her cheek was introduced to the other Lucario's hand. The edge of one of the purplish-black claw's blade clipped her cheek, drawing blood. A quick snap-kick to her torso followed, the impact tossing her back a few paces from her target. Avis crashed to the ground face first, her weapon knocked from her grasp, and sharply inhaled as pain shot through her body.

"Do you know how fragile the body _really_ is? One well placed strike here, another there, and voila, one fresh corpse." Garo mildly commented as he leaned casually against the damaged rock wall.

"I'm not a-" The Aura Pokemon screamed as something pierced her left arm, slightly below her shoulder. Agony sliced through her once again, but unlike the previous occasion, it felt like someone had driven a blade into her chest. The blows she'd received earlier paled to this one in comparison.

"Oops." The dark-eyed Lucario remarked sarcastically as he lowered his outstretched right hand. "Must've slipped."

"_Damn it_!" Avis howled. A purple shard was now embedded in her arm, its wicked edge buried several inches in the Lucario's flesh. _Where the hell did that come from?_

"I thought you'd remember those." Garo grinned sadistically, apparently enjoying the agony the Lucario he'd been hunting was in. "It's the same one, by the way."

Avis' hands balled into fists as a memory that had been buried in a deep corner of her mind surfaced, triggered by that deceptively innocent sentence.

* * *

"_Did he... did he really... did he really just... did he really just do that?"_

_The younger Lucario continued backing away slowly, muttering to himself as he did so._

"_We're screwed, we're screwed, we're utterly-"_

"_Aris?" The Aura Pokemon screamed as he felt someone grab him by the shoulders. _

"_Get a grip, Aris!" Avis shook the other Lucario, trying to calm him down. "What the hell's gotten into you?"_

"_A-Avis?" _

"_What's going on? What's gotten you so jumpy?"_

"_We've got to get out of here! Get as far away from him as possible!" Aris seized the other Lucario's arm with trembling hands, barely managing to rein in his panic._

"_Wha-"_

_Aris' eyes widened, and he shoved the female Aura Pokemon aside. "Watch out!"_

"_NO!"_

* * *

"Get up, Avis. Pain is simply just an illusion. And your pride won't allow you to be bested by trickery, will it?"

The female Aura Pokemon slammed her fist into the ground, before forcing herself to her feet. Her red eyes blazed from within, fuelled by fury, and she shoved the pain from her wounds out of her consciousness. For a moment, Avis' legs felt as though they were burning from within, but the Lucario was too caught up in her anger to notice.

"I'll show you _true_ pain then!" She roared, the spikes on her wrist flaring brightly before morphing into razor-sharp claws. Avis clenched her fists, before lunging at the other Lucario.

The dark-eyed Lucario watched her approach, the same grin from before on his face. His hands fell to his sides as the claws on his hands faded into nothingness.

"Too slow."

The silver claws on her right hand sliced through thin air as Garo took a single step back. Undaunted, Avis pulled her hand back and attempted to stab her opponent in the chest.

"Don't you think it's a bit too… enclosed here?" He remarked, twisting to the side and grabbing Avis' wrist in one fluid motion. The sadistic Lucario shifted his footing, pivoted and tossed his attacker over his shoulder and into the rock wall behind him.

"Let's get some fresh air, shall we?" Garo slammed his free left hand into Avis' stomach, palm open, knocking the breath from her lungs. A split second later, a blast of black energy from Garo's palm struck her at point-blank range, his darkened Aura openly tainting his Force Palm attack.

The rock wall exploded outwards in a shower of rock fragments, the force of the attack blasting Avis out of the cave and into the air.

* * *

"Galive, to your left!"

"Gah!" The Farfetch'd twisted his body to the right, managing to avoid a Sableye's claws. The Darkness Pokemon laughed as Galive jabbed at him with his stick, sidestepping the attack before tackling the Wild Duck Pokemon to the ground. Galive bit back a curse as his back hit the rocky ground, and was barely able to get his stick up in time to block the downward slash that would have sliced through his throat.

"Spectre! Some help here!"

"Hang on!" The Sneasel launched a Blizzard attack at two other Sableyes, literally stopping them cold. A moment later, he turned and sprinted towards the one pinning down the Farfetch'd, extending his claws as he ran.

"Would you _please_ hurry?" The Wild Duck Pokemon screamed hysterically. The Darkness Pokemon on top of him grinned, pulling back one claw in preparation for the _coup de grace_.

"Die." The Sableye hissed, before Spectre leapt forward and buried his own claws in the Darkness Pokemon's back.

"Practice what you preach." The Sharp Claw Pokemon remarked, pulling his claws free as the mortally wounded Pokemon dissolved into a pile of sand. The sand landed on the Farfetch'd's face, sending him into a coughing fit as he frantically brushed it off with his wings. Spectre shot a quick glance at him.

"You okay?"

"I think so-" Galive replied as he got to his feet, before being shoved down again by the Sneasel.

"Get down!" Spectre snapped as he leapt aside. A ball of shadowy energy streaked through the air where he had been a moment before, passing only a couple of inches above Galive's beak.

From somewhere within the cave, there was a rumble of laughter. The sound echoed off the walls, making it impossible to locate its source. "You two make good sport, heh-heh."

Spectre snorted, rolling to a stop. His ear twitched once as the sound of footsteps reached him.

"Think you can sneak up on me?" The Sneasel snarled, before a Sableye barreled into him from the side.

"Easy enough, heh-" The Darkness Pokemon grunted as Spectre's foot hit him squarely in the jaw. He staggered back as Spectre rolled back and backflipped, landing on the balls of his feet.

"You'll pa-"

An explosion cut off the remainder of the Sableye's sentence. Rock fragments rained down on the remaining Pokemon in the cave, leaving a few bruises and the occasional cut but otherwise being more of an annoyance than a threat to them. The sunlight that streamed in through the new gap in the wall brightened the area considerably.

"Avis! No!" Spectre shouted, still able to see the other Lucario Avis had been fighting leap through the hole in the wall despite being unaccustomed to the sudden increase in light intensity. "Galive! Hold them off!" The Sneasel yelled, already making his way up towards the hole.

"_What?_" The Farfetch'd cried, panic setting in at the prospect of dealing with three foes who would probably kill him in an instant. He gulped, holding his stick in a wing that shook.

"Hey… you guys aren't going to eat me or anything, right?"

The Sableyes paused for a moment, turning to look at one another.

"I call his liver."

"I want his kidneys."

"Just boil him already, heh-heh. Leek stick makes great soup, heh-heh."

_Crap._

The Sableyes ducked as a ball of blue energy flew at them, the Air Slash attack dissipating the moment it hit the wall. Six pairs of eyes glanced around, searching for the Farfetch'd.

"Where'd he go?"

The screaming that came from the general direction of the cave's entrance answered their question.

* * *

"_Gah_!"

Pain shot through Avis' body, brutally wrenching her back from unconsciousness. A gasp escaped her as her body twitched on its own accord, the agony-induced spasms amplifying the torment inflicted on the battered Lucario. She blinked several times, but the darkness that filled her vision remained unchanged.

_It hurts…_

The physical anguish was overwhelming, which was why the Aura Pokemon could do nothing but lie where she had fallen, gasping raggedly for air as she realized the darkness she was staring at was the night sky. A couple of her ribs were probably broken, judging from the fact that it hurt to simply breathe. There would be organ trauma, internal bleeding and possibly more broken bones as well. Rock wasn't the number-one material you'd want to break your fall with, after all.

The upside of her situation—if it could even be called as such—was that she was still very much alive, despite having fallen at least fifteen meters onto another rock spire. Fortunately for her, the top surface of this one was flat; otherwise the injuries from her fall would have been the least of her worries.

"Taking a nap? Don't fall asleep now; I'm not done with you yet."

Avis rolled over onto her side, the movement sending another spike of pain through her body. A black paw came into view, taking up almost half of her field of vision. She growled.

"Still got some fight in you, eh?" Garo remarked, casually kicking the wounded Lucario in the ribs. Avis screamed, eliciting a sadistic smirk from him as he watched her face contort in agony. The dark-eyed Lucario waited for the screaming to die down, before crouching down and reaching for something on his back.

"You want this, don't you?" He asked, tossing something onto the ground. Avis' eyes widened slightly as she recognized the dog-eared book from earlier. She reached for it, but a second kick to her injured ribs ended that feeble attempt.

"Now, now, you can look but you can't touch." The male Lucario grinned, deriving pleasure from her pain, and promptly turned his attention back to the book.

"The sin of ignorance, the crime of knowledge…" He mused, forming an Aura Sphere in one palm. Unlike the blue ones most Lucarios created, this ball of energy was as black as midnight. Garo tossed it up and down, allowing himself a moment of uncanny handling of the Aura Sphere, before tossing it at the book just as Avis reached for it again.

"Looks like you won't have to worry about the latter for now." Garo made a show of dusting his hands, even as Avis' outstretched hand balled into a fist.

"Damn you to hell."

That earned another smirk from the sadistic Lucario. "Say hi to Aris for me when you get there, will you?"

_No…_Even with her mind screaming at her to get up and fight back, Avis could only summon enough strength for a final act of defiance—staring Garo in the eye even as the latter's bone club materialized into being, sporting a color scheme similar to the Aura Sphere he'd created earlier.

_Not like this… It can't end like this!_

"Well, I guess this is how this ends. Kinda sad, really, I'd hoped for a better fight." The dark-eyed Aura Pokemon sighed. Tightening his grip on the weapon, Garo raised it in preparation for a final strike. "No use prolonging the torment, I suppose."

And an icy blast struck him in the back with the force of an intense snowstorm.

* * *

Garo whirled around, more infuriated than injured by the unexpected attack. A snarl of frustration escaped his lips as he searched for his attacker.

"You get the hell away from her!"

"And what if I—" The Lucario stopped mid-sentence, feeling his anger being rapidly replaced by disbelief as he identified his attacker. Despite the circumstances, he couldn't help but laugh.

"You've got to be kidding me." He waved a hand dismissively at Spectre. "_This_ is your Prince Charming?"

"Type advantages don't mean a thing in battle!"

"Hey, that's _exactly_ what another Lucario told me once." Garo replied, keeping his gaze firmly on the Sneasel. A nasty grin stretched across his face. "He got killed by a Charizard, by the way. Incinerated, to be precise."

"I'm not another Lucario." Spectre shot back, claws already extended and ready for combat.

"That's fine by me. You'll just die sooner. And in front of her, before I end her pathetic life." The sound of growling from behind him reached his ears, but Garo ignored it. Avis was of no immediate threat to him. The Sneasel, however, was.

"Not every fairytale has a happy ending." The dark-eyed Lucario hissed ominously, even as the two Pokemon began to circle one another, watching—and waiting—for the opportunity to strike. "And not every prince rescues his princess!"

Avis exhaled explosively, sending another surge of pain through her battered body. Oddly, it didn't hurt as much as before. Everything felt distant, as though she was merely an observer and not actually wounded.

_Spectre… why'd you come back? For me? You're only going to get yourself killed… _The sounds of combat were barely audible to her, in spite of the fact that the fight was taking place a stone's throw away from her. Her vision was blurred and the edges were beginning to turn grey, and her body felt as though it was made of solid rock rather than flesh and bone.

_Arceus, I feel tired…_It was so tempting for the injured Lucario to simply close her eyes and sink into the comforting darkness. It called to her, enticing her with its seductive offer of a peaceful rest. _Just a short nap wouldn't hurt…_

_No! Got to stay _awake_!_ Avis inhaled sharply and blinked rapidly, attempting to clear her vision. Color returned to the grey edges, but her vision still remained as clear as a pool of murky water. She welcomed the pain that resulted from her actions, as it kept her awake—no, _alive_.

"_You've done your best, sis. No need to beat yourself up about it, since the others are all willing to do that for you."_

_That voice… Aris? That can't be… he's already—_

"Gah!"

"That all you got?"

Avis' vision snapped into crystal-clear focus just as a black blur landed in front of her. Spectre attempted to get to his feet, but only had time to just push himself off the ground before being kicked in the side by Garo. The impact sent him sprawling across the rocky top of the spire, and he landed in a heap about ten paces away from her.

"You're pathetic!" The dark-eyed Aura Pokemon shouted, storming towards the fallen Sneasel. Before the latter could react, Garo brought his foot down heavily on Spectre's right hand, placing all of his considerable strength behind the crude blow.

The sound of bone cracking was audible even through Avis' blurred senses. Even though she'd born witness to all sorts of brutality imaginable during the course of her life, she couldn't help but feel a trill of horror course through her. The sound that came from Spectre's mouth was not a scream, but rather a cry of pure, unadulterated agony.

_I…have to do _something_! _Even with her renewed focus and determination, the strength of those emotions alone was not enough for Avis to force herself to her feet. _Damn it! Why am I so useless? So Arceus-damned weak? Someone's going to die because of me again, and I can't do a damn thing about it!_

"This is what happens when you try to play the hero!" Garo snarled. With one hand, he seized the smaller Pokemon by the throat and hauled him off the ground. "You suffer pain beyond your wildest imaginations, and for what? To protect someone you care for? You only end up hurting them more!"

_Spectre… I can't let you die—I _won't_ let you die! _Despite her weakened condition, Avis clenched her fist and held it close to her heart, trying to focus her emotions into an Aura Sphere. Her numb fingers brushed against the fur on her chest, but stopped when they came into contact with something smooth and curved.

_The Razor Claw… _

The thought was so audacious that Avis' heart nearly stopped beating for a moment. She glanced up, just in time to see Garo throw his bone club aside as the surrounding shadows began to wrap around his now-free right hand.

_If I don't do this, he's probably not going to live anyway. _

The wounded Aura Pokemon's expression hardened. Her grip around the Razor Claw tightened, and she tore it free from the string wound around it with a sharp tug.

_Have to focus… strength… fading… _Avis' vision was becoming blurry again. Her eyes narrowed. _Got to… hang on… _

Garo drew back his right hand. "Now you die!"

"_Spectre_!" With all the strength left in her broken body, Avis flung the Razor Claw in the direction of the Sneasel. The other Lucario started at her voice, his head still turning to look at her just as Spectre reached out with his good hand_—_

And caught the Razor Claw squarely in his palm.

There was a flash of pure white light, the most beautiful light that Avis had ever seen. It wasn't glaring, but rather comforting and soothing instead. She sighed, her vision slowly fading to black as she sunk into unconsciousness.

_I hope he'll forgive me for this…_

* * *

A loose pebble tumbled to the side as a green foot kicked it out of the way. The figure paid it no heed, his attention on his surroundings instead. Although he had seen no signs of any of Dialga's minions around the area so far, it never hurt to be careful.

The figure halted, recognizing the rock spires rising from the ground in the area in front of him.

_Look at this place. It used to be so lively. Now… it's just dust and echoes. And memories of the past._

His musing came to an end as he spotted three black figures chasing after a brown one. Occasionally, one of the black figures would hurl a black ball of energy at the brown one, who always seemed to dodge it by sheer luck. The lone figure sighed, watching the scene play out before him.

_I suppose a minor intervention wouldn't be a problem… _He thought, glancing at the three leaves on his wrists. _It's been a while—_

A slight tremor in the ground caught his attention, one so minute that it was near-impossible to detect unless one was looking out for it.

Or was aware of such occurrences.

_This… could it be? _The figure turned to look at a chain of mountain peaks in the distance, their outlines still visible to him despite the lack of any moonlight for illumination.

He watched impassively as the tallest peak _vanished_ into thin air, as though it had never existed.

_So what she spoke of was true…_

"It's begun."


End file.
